* FTSE 100 up 0.1 percent
* Barclays, RBS lead banks higher after ICB report
* GKN top blue-chip riser after trading update
By Tricia Wright
LONDON, April 11 (Reuters) - Strong banks helped Britain's top share index notch up small gains on Monday on relief after the Independent Commission on Banking published its report, with Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland leading the sector higher.
By 0817 GMT, the FTSE 100 was up 2.74 points, or 0.1 percent, at 6,058.49, retreating after hitting its highest closing level since mid-February on Friday, when it firmed 0.8 percent to end at 6,055.75.
"We're seeing something of a relief rally across the banks. Although (the content of the report) has not come as any great surprise, there's nothing like seeing the detail to help share prices," Keith Bowman, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said.
Barclays and RBS added 3.4 percent and 2.7 percent respectively, with the two lenders perceived by some analysts as doing the best from Britain's ICB report.
The ICB report recommended that banks should form separate subsidiaries for retail and trading operations, helping protect ordinary savers.
Espirito Santo said that, relative to expectations, the universal banks such as Barclays and RBS fared the best from the report as retail banking ring-fencing looks less onerous than it could have been.
The broker said Lloyds Banking Group, meanwhile, fared "somewhat negatively, with the unquantified prospect of further branch divestitures."
Lloyds shares rose 1.4 percent.
MINER SUPPORT
Miners firmed, with gold jumping to a record high for a fifth straight trading day on the prospect of more declines in the U.S. dollar, as record exchange traded fund holdings helped silver to its highest in more than three decades.
Sentiment surrounding the sector was also helped by stronger-than-expected trade data from top consumer China.
China reported a small trade surplus of $140 million in March, up from a deficit of $7.3 billion in February, the General Administration of Customs reported on Sunday.
BHP Billiton was the best off, boosted as Credit Suisse lifted its rating on the stock to "outperform" from "neutral", reflecting a cheap valuation and strong earnings momentum from oil and bulks.
BHP played down speculation it was in talks to acquire a cornerstone stake that could be worth $10.3 billion (A$9.8 billion) in Australia's largest oil and gas firm, Woodside Petroleum, from Royal Dutch Shell.
Among individual movers, GKN topped the FTSE 100 leader board, up 3.7 percent, after the plane and car parts maker posted a 51 percent rise in first-quarter profit, driven by a strong performance at its auto unit.
Investors were looking ahead to the second-quarter earnings season, which begins unofficially after the U.S. market's close on Monday when Dow component Alcoa Inc reports results.
No major UK or U.S. economic data is due on Monday, although new economic forecasts for the big economies are expected from the International Monetary Fund during the session. (Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)