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* FTSE 100 down 0.2%, FTSE 250 about flat
* St. James's Place, Lloyds lead losses on main index
* Next buoys retailers
* Mid-cap Intu slumps after results
July 31 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 edged lower on
Wednesday, as a results-driven slide in shares of wealth manager
St. James's Place and mortgage lender Lloyds overshadowed upbeat
forecast from clothing retailer Next.
The main index .FTSE lost 0.2%, as exporter stocks also
weighed after the pound rebounded slightly from a 28-month low.
The FTSE 250 .FTMC was roughly flat by 0709 GMT, though mall
operator Intu INTUP.L tanked 16% after first-half results.
Shares of Lloyds Banking Group, Britain's biggest mortgage
lender, slipped 4.2%, as a further charge to meet claims for
mis-sold insurance to consumers hit its earnings. Wealth manager St. James's Place SJP.L fell 4.6% after it
missed forecasts for operating profit, as weaker client
sentiment weighed on inflows of new money in the first half of
the year and costs rose. However, retailer Next NXT.L jumped 7.3% to a more than
one-year high after it raised its full-year sales and profit
targets. Rival Marks & Spencer MKS.L also gained 2.3%.