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* FTSE 100 down 0.4%, FTSE 250 lost 0.3%
Sept 29 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 opened lower on
Tuesday as worries about a stalling economic recovery against
the backdrop of surging COVID-19 cases kept sentiment subdued
ahead of the next round of Brexit negotiations and the first
U.S. presidential debate.
European Union negotiators signalled that they are willing
to begin work on a joint legal text of a trade agreement with
the UK, ahead of trade talks that resume on Tuesday, The Times
reported. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index .FTSE dropped 0.4% with
banking stocks .FTNMX8350 declining the most following strong
gains in the previous session. The mid-cap index .FTMC slipped
0.3% and was on track to record its worst month in five.
Plumbing parts distributor Ferguson FERG.L rose 6.3% to
the top of the FTSE 100 after it restored dividend as
cost-reduction measures, including job cuts and branch closures,
and resilience in its main U.S. business helped it report a 4.1%
rise in annual profit.