FTSE lays low after BoE; Unilever, Next shine

By Michael Taylor

LONDON, May 8 (Reuters) - Britain's blue-chip index remained weak on Thursday after the Bank of England left interest rates unchanged, with banks dragging against the backdrop of a flurry of well-received company results.

At 1115 GMT the FTSE 100 .FTSE edged down 14.1 points, or 0.2 percent at 6,246.9.

"You could argue that because there were ... possibilities that there might be some action, those people who had positioned for it may have sold off a bit. But the majority of sensible investors are keeping their powder dry," said Peter Dixon, UK economist at Commerzbank.

"We should be looking for rate moves one to two months or even further down the track."

Banks weighed after the BoE decision to hold rates at 5 percent. Barclays (BARC.L: Quote, Profile, Research), Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L: Quote, Profile, Research), Lloyds TSB (LLOY.L: Quote, Profile, Research), Standard Chartered (STAN.L: Quote, Profile, Research) and HBOS (HBOS.L: Quote, Profile, Research) lost 0.8 to 3.2 percent.

Also weighing on the sector was news that the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission planned to ramp up transparency in top Wall Street firms. [ID:nN07565098]

Further on the macro front, the European Central Bank is also expected to leave rates unchanged at 4 percent when it announces its decision at 1145 GMT.

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research said Britain's economy continued to grow below its trend rate.