FTSE ends flat; financials fall

The FTSE 100 <.FTSE> finished almost unchanged at 5,642.62, having closed at a 21-month closing peak on Wednesday.

Banks and miners slipped after recent strong gains, with Barclays , Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group falling 1.8 to 3.6 percent.

Miners were weighed down by weaker metals prices, which fell as the dollar strengthened. Vedanta , Fresnillo , Kazakhmys and Antofagasta shed 1.7 to 2.4 percent.

Macroeconomic numbers failed to help the market. British factory orders fell faster-than-expected in March and firms were less optimistic about raising output in the coming months, confirming the UK economy's recovery from recession remains sluggish.

"With major governments refusing to do anything about their borrowing requirements, equities remain attractive. I can see the FTSE reaching the 6,000 level by July," said David Buik, senior partner at BGC Partners.

"However, once the election is over and the government starts to address its borrowing, we could easily see the FTSE finish the year around the 5,350 level."

Figures also showed public borrowing hit its highest February on record.

DRUGMAKERS BUOYANT

GlaxoSmithKline was the biggest climber on the FTSE leader board, up 3.9 percent, after Novartis handed back U.S. rights to a drug widely thought to be a generic copy of its blockbuster Advair.