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* FTSE 100 down 1.0%, FTSE 250 off 0.5%
Aug 13 (Reuters) - The FTSE 100 fell for the first time in
five days on Thursday as a clutch of blue-chip firms traded
ex-dividend, while travel firm TUI slid after posting a
quarterly loss of 1.1 billion euros due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
London-listed shares of the world's largest tourism company
TUIT.L tumbled 3.8% as a halt in global travel forced it to
cancel holidays, wiping out revenue for three months.
A 1% decline for the FTSE 100 .FTSE pulled it back from
three-week highs, with firms including AstraZeneca Plc AZN.L ,
BP Plc BP.L , Royal Dutch Shell Plc RDSa.L and Legal &
General Group Plc LGEN.L trading without entitlement to a
dividend payout.
The mid-cap FTSE 250 .FTMC was off 0.5%, led by bus
company National Express Group Plc NEX.L , which slipped 6.2%
after reporting a first-half pre-tax loss and saying it was
bracing for more pressure over the next year. Insurer Just Group JUSTJ.L rose 7.1% after posting higher
first-half earnings and issuing a strong sales forecast for the
last six months of the year.