(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 16 feb - Shares in London closed slightly higher as financial stocks rose following mostly upbeat earnings.

NatWest surged 4.76% at 607.80 pence after fourth quarter profits rose more than expected while Barclays closed 1.55% higher at 461.05 pence and Standard Chartered added 1.31% at 1,741.00 pence.

Miners meanwhile lost with Glencore and Rio Tinto down 0.32% at 492.90 pence and 1.06% at 7,111.00 pence, respectively.

Looking ahead, market participants are bracing for a series of key economic indicators, including UK inflation data and the minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday. These releases are expected to provide further clarity on the potential timing of interest rate cuts later this year.

Among individual stocks, shares of the biotech group SkinBioTherapeutics slumped 51.52% to 6.00 pence after the company drastically revised its 2025 results and 2026 guidance following the discovery of financial "inaccuracies" during an investigation into its former CEO.

The London FTSE 100 closed up 0.26% at 10,473.69 points.

(RADIOCOR) 16-02-26 18:17:49 (0454) 5 NNNN