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* FTSE 100 down 0.4%, FTSE 250 down 0.2%
* Ei Group up after buyout offer
* ASOS sinks after latest profit alert
July 18 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 followed other major
stock markets lower on Thursday as initial batches of corporate
earnings jangled nerves over global growth, while losses for
London's mid-cap index were capped by a buyout of pub operator
Ei Group.
All but one of the blue-chip index's .FTSE sectors were in
red as it shed 0.4% in early deals. The mid-cap FTSE 250 .FTMC
lost 0.2% by 0709 GMT.
Slug and Lettuce owner Stonegate Pub Company IPO-SPC.L
agreed to buy Ei Group EIGE.L for 285 pence a share, a 38%
premium to Wednesday's close that sent the mid-cap pub chain's
stock to its highest in more than a decade. AIM-listed online fashion retailer ASOS ASOS.L tanked
almost 20%, as it blamed operational issues for its third profit
warning in eight months.