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* FTSE 100 down 0.4%, FTSE 250 off 0.3%
April 23 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 slipped on Friday as
industrial stocks fell and a stronger pound weighed on
export-oriented companies, while investors awaited a flash
reading on business survey data for April later in the day.
The exporter-heavy index .FTSE declined 0.4%, with large
dollar-earning consumer staples companies Unilever ULVR.L ,
Diageo DGE.L , and British American Tobacco BATS.L slipping
between 0.3% and 0.9% as the pound strengthened. GBP=
Heavyweight oil majors BP Plc BP.L and Royal Dutch Shell
RDSa.L also fell and were among the biggest drags to the
index.
The domestically focussed mid-cap FTSE 250 index .FTMC
slipped 0.3% even as official data showed British retail sales
soared past expectations to jump by 5.4% in March from February
before the lockdown eased. A survey showed that consumer sentiment touched a 13-month
high this month as the economy reopened partially. Transport operator FirstGroup's shares FGP.L gained 13.1%
after the company agreed to sell two North American bus
businesses to EQT Infrastructure for $4.6 billion, including
debt.