UPDATE 2-FTSE scales 4-month high as Trump brightens trade view

* FTSE 100, FTSE 250 up 0.4%
* Trump comments boost Sino-U.S. trade deal hopes
* Mid-cap Future Plc skids on discounted stock sale
* FastJet slides to an all-time low

(Adds company news items, updates to closing prices)
By Shashwat Awasthi and Muvija M
Nov 27 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 hit a near four-month
high on Wednesday as recent risk-on sentiment was bolstered
after U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington and Beijing
were close to a "phase one" trade deal, while an impressive
forecast lifted BAT shares.
The main index .FTSE added 0.4% on its fourth straight day
in positive territory, as Asia-focussed HSBC HSBA.L and miners
.FTNMX1770 gained on the prospect of an initial U.S.-China
trade accord.
British American Tobacco BATS.L was the biggest boost
among blue-chips, rising 3.1% after it forecast annual revenue
to grow in the upper half of its long-term target range.
The FTSE 250 .FTMC index of midcap companies also rose
0.4%, closing at its highest since July, 2018, as hopes of an
end to the Brexit saga through an election attracted traders to
the domestic stocks.
The index has advanced roughly 4% since Oct. 29, when
parliament approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson's call for a
general election.
Markets see a prospective victory for Johnson's Conservative
Party as the most likely scenario for Brexit to be delivered by
the Jan. 31 deadline. As such, the pound weakened slightly after
polls showed the Conservative lead was narrowing. However, an 8% fall in publisher Future Plc FUTR.L weighed
on the midcaps following a discounted share placement. Its
shares marked their worst one-day performance since mid-June.
The broader mood was firmly upbeat after Trump's comments on
trade following a telephone conversation between senior U.S. and
Chinese negotiators, though CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson
hollered caution as the Dec. 15 deadline for new tariffs draws
closer.
"It still remains unclear what the timing is likely to be on
the agreement of a phase one deal," Hewson said. "However with
three weeks until Dec. 15, it's not hard to imagine that it is
highly unlikely that we'll get anything tangible before that."
Washington's support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong
Kong may also be a sticking point in negotiations.
Among smaller stocks, holiday package provider On The Beach
OTB.L , which has said it will gain market share in the wake of
Thomas Cook's collapse, climbed 3% higher after reporting a rise
in adjusted profits.
A standout loser across the board was FastJet FJET.L ,
which plunged 32% to a new record low after it said it wanted to
sell its Zimbabwean operations and raise capital, which could
help the low-cost carrier make it until 2021. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
FTSE https://tmsnrt.rs/2OKnwjY
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>