Earnings help keep FTSE losses in check Well-received earnings news set the pace at the top of the FTSE 100 on Thursday as the wider market inched lower, with resource and financial stocks remaining under pressure. SABMiller was the best single performer on the benchmark index - up 4.2 per cent at £31.69 - after the brewer's overall beer volumes rose, with higher sales in emerging markets making up for flat sales in Europe. BSkyB, the pay TV broadcaster, was in second place on the leaderboard, rising 4.4 per cent to 916.5p after it continued to add customers in the three months to the end of September. Overall, however, the FTSE 100 was down 0.1 per cent at 6,566.05, a loss of 5 points, with banks and resource stocks holding it back. The relief rally seen on Wall Street and Asia in reaction to the last-minute deal in Washington to raise the US debt ceiling has not reached Europe after the region's equities markets remained steady during the stand-off. Barclays was down 1.2 per cent at 280p, while HSBC shed 1.2 per cent to 677.3p. Precious-metals stocks fell further than base-metals miners as the haven appeal of gold and silver related holdings faded after the US debt deal was reached. Randgold Resources was the biggest single decliner, down 2.2 per cent at £42.94. Fresnillo, the world's biggest silver miner, was 1.7 per cent stronger at 953.5p. The company issued a production update, although it delayed forecasts for its gold production until next week, having lowered them over the summer. It said silver production remained within existing guidance. Shares in Burberry recovered 2.3 per cent to £14.98 after falling earlier in the week on the news that chief executive Angela Ahrendts was to leave the UK fashion group to be replaced by Christopher Bailey, the company's chief creative officer. "Given Ahrendts" success at Burberry and a relatively untested Bailey in the chief executive role, we believe there is risk from the transition," said Allegra Perry at Cantor Research.