British stocks up 0.52 pct

LONDON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- British stocks rose on Monday, with the benchmark FTSE 100 Index up by 0.52 percent, or 38.19 points, to close at 7,317.38 points.

Melrose Industries, a London-based company that specializes in buying and improving underperforming businesses, soared 3.58 percent, the top gainer of the blue chips. Standard Chartered and Ashtead Group increased by 3.43 percent and 3.29 percent, respectively.

EasyJet, a low-cost British airline, was the worst performer in the blue chips, with its shares losing 9.71 percent. Tui, a Germany-based integrated tourism group, dropped 3.05 percent. SSE, a Scottish energy company, fell 2.70 percent. Enditem