The British central bank, the Bank of England (BoE), on Thursday maintained interest rates at 0.5 percent and the size of its asset purchase program at 375 billion pounds (570 billion U.S. dollars).

The bank's decision is in line with previous market expectations as Britain's economy shows signs of recovery. The economy grew 0.6 percent in the second quarter this year compared with previous quarter, showing signs of making sustainable growth.

Meanwhile, a survey report issued Thursday showed that British manufacturing production increased for the fourth consecutive month in July.

According to the report, the Markit and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply purchasing managers' index (PMI) jumped to 54.6 points in July, up from a revised reading of 52.9 points in June.