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* FTSE 100 up 0.5%, FTSE 250 adds 0.3%
Dec 10 (Reuters) - London's exporter-heavy FTSE 100 edged
higher on Thursday as the absence of a Brexit trade deal
pressured the pound, while concerns around the economic damage
from the COVID-19 pandemic kept the mid-cap index subdued.
The FTSE 100 .FTSE was up 0.5% by 0802 GMT, led by
consumer staples, materials and energy stocks.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the European Union's chief
executive gave themselves until the end of the weekend to seal a
new trade pact after failing to overcome persistent rifts over
dinner on Wednesday. The mid-cap index .FTMC rose just 0.3%, as data showed
Britain's economic recovery almost ground to a halt in October
due to a surge in coronavirus cases. In company news, Mike Ashley's British sportswear group
Frasers FRAS.L jumped 6.5% to the top of the FTSE 250 after
reporting a 25% rise in first-half core earnings.