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FTSE 100 down 0.1%, FTSE 250 up 0.1%

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AstraZeneca ( AZN ) pauses $270 mln investment in Britain, shares

fall

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Sainsbury hits 4-year high after ending JD.com ( JD ) talks

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BoE expected to hold rates steady amid inflation concerns

(Updates with market closing prices)

Sept 15 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 index slipped on

Monday, dragged down by heavyweight AstraZeneca ( AZN ) and a stronger

pound, as investors braced for a busy week of central bank

meetings, including the Bank of England.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 closed down 0.1%, while the

midcap FTSE 250 index edged up 0.1%

AstraZeneca ( AZN ) fell 3.2% after Handelsbanken cut its

rating and Reuters reported the drugmaker had paused a planned

£200 million ($271.26 million) investment in its Cambridge

research site.

The BoE is expected to hold interest rates steady on

Thursday amid rising inflation and to slow its £100

billion-a-year bond unwind amid renewed gilt-market volatility.

A Reuters poll shows most economists expect one rate cut next

quarter and another early next year.

The pound rose to its highest level since early

July against the dollar. It was last up 0.4% at $1.36.

The spotlight remains on the U.S. Federal Reserve, which

sets policy this week, alongside central banks in Japan and

Canada.

Additionally, the U.S. and Britain will announce agreements

on technology and civil nuclear energy during President Donald

Trump's second state visit this week, as the UK seeks to

finalise steel tariffs under a much-anticipated trade deal.

Among other stocks, AO World jumped 14% after the

British electronics retailer laid out plans for its first-ever

share buyback and raised the lower end of its annual adjusted

pre-tax profit forecast.

Sainsbury hit a more than four-year high, up 3.5%,

after the supermarket group said it had terminated talks with

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com ( JD ) over selling the Argos

general merchandise retailer.

Martin Sorrell's advertising group S4 Capital ( SCPPF )

slumped 21% to a record low after cutting its annual revenue

forecast for the second time this year.