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Both FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 UP 0.2%

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Hiscox ( HCXLF ) up on strong H1 results

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Glencore ( GLCNF ) shares fall as H1 profit drops 14%

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Shares in Coca-Cola bottlers drop sharply on weak outlook

Aug 6 (Reuters) - British equities edged higher on

Wednesday, as investors assessed a mixed bag of corporate

earnings and awaited a Bank of England rate cut on Thursday.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 was up 0.2% as of 0916 GMT,

rising for a third consecutive session after touching a

four-month low on Friday.

The domestically focused midcap FTSE 250 also rose

0.2%.

Insurance stocks rose by 2.7%, after Hiscox ( HCXLF )

reported a 6.2% rise in first-half group net insurance

premiums. Shares of the British insurer jumped 8.7%, making it

the biggest percentage gainer in the FTSE 100.

Oil and gas sector rose 2.3%, tracking higher

oil prices.

Heavyweight Shell and BP were among the top

gainers in the benchmark index, both up 2.3%.

London-listed shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

and Coca-Cola HBC - bottling units of U.S.

beverage giant Coca-Cola - fell 11.6% and 9.1%,

respectively, after their quarterly reports, dragging on the

FTSE 100.

Glencore ( GLCNF ) fell nearly 4% after the UK miner reported

a drop in first-half core profit.

British healthcare stocks fell marginally

after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that

Washington would initially place a "small tariff" on

pharmaceutical imports, eventually increasing it to 250%.

Among other individual stocks, TP ICAP fell the

most in the FTSE 250, down 9.8%, after the British inter-dealer

broker posted weaker-than-expected half-year operating profit.

Bank of England is widely expected to cut its key interest

rate to 4% from 4.25% and to lower it again before the year's

end, despite inflation nearing double the central bank's 2%

target in June.

"The decision to cut rates again is likely to be far from

unanimous...how the Bank couches its accompanying commentary

will send a strong signal regarding its perception of the

trajectories for economic activity and inflation in coming

months", said Jeremy Batstone-Carr, European Strategist at

Raymond James Investment Services in a note.