* FTSE 100 up 1.0 pct; oils, banks bounce
* Investec up on "quality of profit"
* Invensys falls after "mixed" results
By Tricia Wright
LONDON, May 19 (Reuters) - Britain's top shares rose on Thursday, helped by miners which continued their ascent from the previous session, shrugging off easing metals prices as the market focused on the flotation of commodities trader Glencore.
Glencore
Buyers also came in for BP
By 1129 GMT, the FTSE 100 index was 59.33 points, or 1.0 percent, higher at 5,982.82, having advanced 1.1 percent in the previous session, snapping a five-session losing streak.
On the high street the mood was upbeat after British retail
sales climbed more than expected in April. Marks & Spencer
Positive sentiment surrounding these four retailers was lifted as Espirito Santo Investment Bank repeated its "buy" ratings on the stocks, upgrading the UK general retail sector to "overweight".
WALL STREET EYED
U.S. stock index futures
"U.S. investors will be hoping last session's rise and the positive sentiment from Europe can boost stocks for a second consecutive day," Yusuf Heusen, senior sales trader at IG Index, said.
"Yesterday's FOMC minutes signalled a continuation of low interest rates for some time to come, which, coupled with a bullish earnings report from Dell, brought the buyers back after a negative week so far," he said.
Back with the UK blue chips, ARM Holdings
Elsewhere, miners <.FTNMX1770> were in demand as Glencore
started "when issued" trading, with Antofagasta
"(We) expect initial upward momentum on (Glencore's) shares even after the recent uncertainty surrounding underlying commodities and also following confirmation earlier today that Japan has fallen into recession," Dan Harris, head of dealing at H2O Markets, said.
"Significant demand is likely to emerge particularly from index tracker funds, who would be left without direct correlation in the commodity sector in the absence of such a potentially key component."
Investors had a wedge of corporate earnings and trading
statements to digest on Thursday, with highlights including
Invensys
South African investment bank and asset manager Investec
ITV