FTSE hits 4-week high

By Simon Falush

LONDON (Reuters) - Upbeat results from JP Morgan boosted banks while energy and pharmaceutical stocks also gained, leading Britain's top share index to close at a one-month high, up for a fourth session Thursday.

The index was trading in slightly negative territory in early trade but the JP Morgan results which were announced around midsession lifted the FTSE 100 which closed 0.35 percent, or 15.38 points up at 4,361.84.

The index shrugged off weak U.S. factory activity data which hit stocks on Wall Street; the FTSE 100 is up 5.7 percent on the week and is set for its best weekly performance in four months.

Investors will look to second-quarter results from IBM and Google after U.S. markets close for more clues on the corporate outlook and whether shares can continue their upward trajectory.

"It all depends on how good the results from IBM and Google are," said Nick Serff, analyst from City Index. "The results this week have been good and more positive results should see consolidation of the gains."

Citigroup General Electric and Bank of America report Friday.

Banks were the biggest driver of gains, continuing the bull run from the last couple of sessions following the results from JP Morgan.

HSBC, Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group added between 0.6 and 1.7 percent.