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UPDATE 1-Mining shares drag Britain's FTSE lower, but ITV shines

Published 26/07/2018, 02:58 am
UPDATE 1-Mining shares drag Britain's FTSE lower, but ITV shines
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* FTSE 100 down 0.7 pct

* Miners cool after strong previous session

* ITV rises after decent update, but Informa slides

* Indivior plunges on warning of bigger hit from copycat drug (Adds closing prices)

By Kit Rees

LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) - The UK's top share index fell on Wednesday as mining stocks lost ground, with earnings in focus as ITV and Informa issued updates.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 .FTSE index fell 0.7 percent at 7,658.26 points. Mid caps .FTMC declined 0.5 percent.

Mining shares .FTNMX1770 fell 1.3 percent following Tuesday's five percent rise as copper prices steadied. MET/L

Shares in Fresnillo FRES.L , Rio Tinto RIO.L and Glencore GLEN.L fell one percent to 7.3 percent.

Mining companies, along with other cyclical stocks, have come under pressure as the trade dispute between the United States and China has escalated.

The broader European market was also lower before a meeting between European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and U.S. President Donald Trump. The meeting will focus on trade tensions after the United States imposed tariffs on EU steel and aluminium.

"It was a strong start to the week yesterday and I think we're back to looking at the potential negatives and people ... are taking risk off the table," said Mike van Dulken, head of research at Accendo Markets.

A production update from Fresnillo also weighed on the sector, while Antofagasta ANTO.L edged up 0.6 percent after it reported a 6.1 percent increase in second-quarter copper production and a fall in costs. were another weak spot with HSBC HSBA.L , down one percent, being the biggest drag to the FTSE.

Event organiser Informa INF.L saw its shares drop four percent after the company reported half-year results. Informa's outlook suggested a slower pace of growth, Accendo Market's van Dulken said cheered ITV's ITV.L half-year update, which sent its shares up as much as 2.5 percent higher before paring some gains to trade up 0.9 percent. The commercial broadcaster said that the World Cup and "Love Island" had contributed to an eight percent jump in revenue have struggled with the rise of online streaming services and volatile advertising revenue, but ITV's shares have managed a 3.4 percent gain so far in 2018 following two years of losses.

British homebuilders also topped the index, with shares in Taylor Wimpey TW.L , Barratt Developments BDEV.L and Persimmon PSN.L rising after Berenberg issued a supportive note on the sector. Its analysts said they thought that fears around the UK housebuilding were "overdone".

"The macro outlook remains supportive; housing is still affordable in most regions of the UK; and, with the support of the government's Help to Buy (HTB) scheme, we expect the new build sector to continue to outperform the wider market," the analysts said.

Among mid caps, shares in Indivior INDV.L fell 7.7 percent after the drugmaker reported a second straight drop in quarterly profit and warned of a bigger-than-expected blow from the launch of a copycat of its best-selling opioid addiction treatment

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