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FTSE 100 down 0.2%, FTSE 250 flat
Aug 26 (Reuters) - The FTSE 100 slipped on Wednesday, weighed by a sell-off in stocks ranging from energy to consumer staples and financials, while investor attention turned to an annual central bankers' conference later in the week.
The commodity-heavy FTSE 100 .FTSE was down 0.2%, with BP Plc BP.L, Royal Dutch Shell Plc RDSa.L, British American Tobacco Plc BATS.L and HSBC Holdings Plc HSBA.L among the top drags.
The benchmark index has struggled to build on a strong start to the week as signs of a sluggish economic rebound overshadowed optimism around COVID-19 vaccines and U.S.-China trade. All eyes are now on U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's address at the virtual Jackson Hole Symposium on Thursday.
Doorstep lender Provident Financial PFG.L jumped 8.3% even as it sank to a loss in the first half of 2020 and suspended its interim dividend. Its shares have more than halved in value this year.
The mid-cap FTSE 250 .FTMC was flat in early trading.
(Reporting by Sagarika Jaisinghani in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
((Sagarika.Jaisinghani@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780; outside U.S. +91 80 6182 2256;))
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