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FTSE 100 flat, FTSE 250 down 0.1%
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Hochschild drops after cutting Brazil gold output forecast
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JD Sports Fashion up on signs of improving US sales
Aug 27 (Reuters) - London stocks were flat on Wednesday,
stabilising a day after flaring concerns around the U.S. Federal
Reserve's independence hit risk assets worldwide.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 held steady at 9269.3 points
by 1009 GMT, coming off a 0.6% fall on Tuesday after U.S.
President Donald Trump said he was firing Federal Reserve
Governor Lisa Cook.
Cook's lawyer responded that the Fed governor will file a
lawsuit to prevent Trump from firing her.
Tuesday's fall snapped a five-day winning streak for the
index.
UK's blue-chip index hit a record high last week, when
global markets got a lift after Fed Chair Jerome Powell
signalled a possible interest rate cut at the Fed's September
meeting.
Personal goods led gains among the major FTSE
sub-sectors on Wednesday with a 1.3% increase, followed by a
1.1% gain in utilities.
Heavyweight banks were down 1%, falling for
the second straight day, while top pharmaceutical companies
rose 0.7%.
The FTSE 250 midcap index, which sits more than 11%
away from its all-time high in September 2021, inched 0.1% down.
Hochschild Mining slumped 15.9% to the bottom of
the midcap index after the miner slashed full-year production
forecast for its Mara Rosa mine by more than half.
Among other moving stocks, JD Sports Fashion gained
2.1% after the sportswear retailer showed signs of stabilisation
in its key U.S. market after a sharp decline in the previous
quarter.
Insurer Prudential unveiled a $1.1 billion share
buyback plan and signalled higher dividends over the next two
years after posting a 12% rise in first-half new business
profit. Its shares, however, were down 0.9%, shedding initial
gains.
Global investor focus would be on U.S. tech giant Nvidia's ( NVDA )
quarterly earnings due later in the day.