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FTSE steadies, energy and mining sectors gain

A man shelters under an umbrella as he walks past the London Stock Exchange in London, Britain August 24, 2015. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett

By Liisa Tuhkanen LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top share index steadied on Friday, supported by gains in energy and mining stocks, after a rollercoaster week that saw it drop to multi-year lows as well as staging its biggest one-day jump in years. The blue-chip FTSE 100 was down 2.65 points, flat in percentage terms, by 0844 GMT. It closed up 3.6 percent on Thursday, recouping all of its losses from this week's sell-off after strong U.S. data calmed investors fearful of the impact of slowing Chinese growth. "Clearly, we're getting back to normality," Hargreaves Lansdown head of equities, Richard Hunter, said. On the upside, energy and mining sectors lead the gainers as oil prices climbed and base metals benefited from resurgent equities and higher oil. Glencore rose the most, up 3.2 percent, with fellow miner BHP Billiton also among the biggest gainers, while energy companies BG Group and Royal Dutch Shell climbed 2.3 and 1.3 percent respectively. The mining sector also got a boost from activist investor Carl Icahn disclosing a stake in diversified miner and energy producer Freeport-McMoRan. Among the top fallers, Next dropped 1.1 percent on a rating cut from Credit Suisse, which cited rising concerns from gradual slowdown in the company's near- and medium-term growth drivers. In small caps, PR and communications firm Huntsworth fell 13 percent after posting results that disappointed the market. (Editing by Louise Ireland)