FTSE 100 shares climb

London stock markets closed higher at the end of trade on Thursday as corporates declared quarterly results though fears of a US debt default kept investment senitment jittery. The FTSE 100 index of top shares was up 0.28 percent at 5,873.21 points. Lloyds was the most traded stock of the day with 113 million shares changing hands, followed by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which saw 96.9 million shares switch owners. BAE Systems was the best blue-chip performer, rising 4.89 percent (14.36 pence) to finish at 306.8. It was followed by Shire, which rose 4.20 percent (86 pence) to close at 2136. Carnival led the losers, slipping 2.96 percent (66 pence) to close at 2161. It was followed by Lonmin, which was down 2.80 percent (37 pence) to finish at 1285. On the currency markets, a pound was worth 1.6333 dollars and 1.1422 euros at 1654 GMT.