The blue-chip index opened slightly higher today, boosted by a few sets of strong results. AstraZeneca beat expectations for profit and revenue in the first quarter, thanks to strong sales in emerging markets.

Barclays rose 4% after posting better-than-expected profits, led by its credit card business, while Unilever climbed 1.4% also after posting results that exceeded forecasts.

However, shares of Capricorn Energy were down after it posted an operating loss for the full year.

 

Things to read today:

First Republic Bank Is a Problem With No Easy Solution (WSJ)

Bank of England Shows ECB How To Shrink a Balance Sheet (Bloomberg)

Microsoft boss: Activision Blizzard deal block is bad for Britain (BBC)