- FTSE 100 up 0.5%, FTSE 250 down 0.2%
- Investors await U.S. payrolls data for Fed clues
- Currys falls after warning of memory-chip shortage
July 2 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 climbs, supported by defensive healthcare and beverage stocks, as investors awaited U.S. payrolls data for clues on the Federal Reserve's policy path.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose 0.5% to 10,532.93 points by 1153 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 slipped 0.2%.
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The healthcare sub-index rose 1.4%, boosted by AstraZeneca, which gained 1.4% after striking a deal worth up to $1.77 billion with China's CSPC Pharmaceutical Group to develop kidney disease treatments.
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Consumer-focused stocks including Tesco, Coca-Cola HBC , and J Sainsbury rose between 2.6% to 1.8% each.
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The U.S. non-farm payrolls report is due at 8:30 a.m. ET, with investors watching for signals on the health of the labor market and monetary policy path.
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Economists expected the Labor Department's closely watched employment report to keep a September interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve on the table amid rising inflation from the U.S.-led war with Iran.
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On the geopolitical front, Iran and the U.S. concluded a round of indirect talks in Doha on Wednesday without any clear breakthrough toward a lasting peace agreement, still oil prices slid as supply concerns around Strait of Hormuz eased.
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Among individual UK stocks, British electricals retailer Currys fell 3.7% after it warned that a global memory-chip shortage could drive up prices for smartphones, laptops and other electronics later this year.
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Shares of Genel Energy rose 4.6% after the Kurdistan-focused oil and gas producer agreed to acquire Britain's Capricorn Energy in a $360 million all-cash deal.
Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid
Source: Reuters