British stocks up 0.88 pct Thursday

LONDON, March 21 (Xinhua) -- British stocks rose on Thursday, with the benchmark FTSE 100 Index up by 0.88 percent, or 64.30 points, to close at 7,355.31 points.

Hikma Pharmaceuticals, a multinational pharmaceutical company, soared 6.95 percent, the top gainer of the blue chips. Fresnillo and Reckitt Benckiser Group increased by 3.95 percent and 3.86 percent, respectively.

EasyJet, a low-cost British airline, was the worst performer in the blue chips, with its shares losing 3.13 percent. Lloyds Banking Group, a major British financial institution, dropped 2.81 percent. Persimmon, a British housebuilding company, fell 2.35 percent. Enditem