Money World economy
The market's FTSE 100 index slipped 0.07 percent to end the week on Friday at 5,353.52 points.
Trading was choppy, as investors reacted to often contradictory data on the health of the US economic recovery.
Sentiment was also affected by banking results. Royal Bank of Scotland delivered a positive surprise on Thursday with news that it had slashed its 2009 net loss by 85 percent compared with 2008.
But Lloyds Banking Group, in which the government is the principal shareholder, disappointed with a loss of 6.3 billion pounds.
In the week ahead HSBC, the largest European bank, will publish its results on Monday, while Standard Chartered, increasingly active in emerging market countries, will report on Wednesday.
The Bank of England on Thursday is forecast to leave its benchmark interest rate at 0.5 percent. The bank's policy of purchasing bonds from commercial institutions as a means of spurring lending is expected to remain suspended.
