(Updates after markets close)
* FTSE 100 down 1%, FTMC down 0.1%
* Tesco ( TSCDF ) falls on weak Q1 sales growth
* Intertek ( IKTSF ) up after agreeing EQT takeover
* BoE holds rate as expected
By Utkarsh Hathi and Tharuniyaa Lakshmi
June 18 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 fell on Thursday,
pressured by miner and technology shares, while the Bank of
England left interest rates unchanged, as widely expected.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed 1% lower at
10,399.70 points, while the midcap FTSE 250 eased 0.1%.
The BoE held rates at 3.75%, with only two of the nine-member
committee voting in favour of a rate hike amid persistent
inflation concerns.
The U.S. Federal Reserve also held rates on Wednesday, though
nine Fed policymakers forecast a rate hike this year.
"The conditions don't seem in place for sustained
inflationary pressure. So we think the BoE will be able to avoid
the kind of monetary tightening that the European Central Bank
has already started to deliver and that the Fed hinted at last
night," said Luke Bartholomew, deputy chief economist, at
Aberdeen.
* Precious metal miners declined the most, as
gold and silver prices eased. Fresnillo and Hochschild
Mining fell 5.8% and 7.2%, respectively.
* London Stock Exchange Group ( LDNXF ) was the biggest
individual faller, down 7% after Rothschild Redburn downgraded
the stock to "neutral". Technology shares more broadly lost 3.3%
.
* Interest rate-sensitive homebuilders were
down 1.1%, with Persimmon falling 6.1%.
* The world's largest exhibition group Informa ( IFPJF ) was
the biggest gainer on the FTSE 100, rising 2.5% after
forecasting stronger growth in 2027.
* Oil giants BP and Shell fell 1.6% each, as
oil prices touched their lowest since the start of the Iran war.
* Intertek ( IKTSF ) gained 1.6% after the testing and
certification firm agreed to a takeover by Swedish private
equity firm EQT.
* The northern English constituency of Makerfield votes on
Thursday in a local election that could trigger a leadership
challenge to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has vowed to
remain in office.
* "Political uncertainty is impacting investor sentiment and
has also manifested itself in higher bond yields than the
economic data would suggest, particularly at longer durations,"
said Clive Beagles, senior fund manager at J O Hambro Capital
Management. "The impact is felt more strongly in the FTSE 250
than the FTSE 100 because it has greater domestic exposure."