The benchmark FTSE 100 edged up 0.09 percent Thursday to close at 5,796.07 points

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The benchmark FTSE 100 edged up 0.09 percent Thursday to close at 5,796.07 points

Shaun Curry

London stocks closed just higher on Thursday, bolstered by a bigger-than-expected drop in new US unemployment claims and the prospect of a huge Glencore-Xstrata mining merger.