U.K. Stocks Erase Declines After U.S. Jobs Report; HBOS Gains

By Andrew Rummer

Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks erased earlier losses after a report said the U.S. lost 524,000 jobs in December.

Payrolls were forecast to drop 525,000 after a previously reported 533,000 decline in November, according to the median estimate of 73 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.

The benchmark FTSE 100 Index added 1.96, or less than 0.1 percent, to 4,507.12 at 1: 42 p.m. in London. The measure had earlier fallen as much as 0.7 percent.

HBOS Plc, the U.K. bank being bought by LLoyds TSB Plc, lead gains on the FTSE 100, rising 7.8 percent to 79.8 pence.