Last checked at 
* FTSE 100 down 0.7%, FTSE 250 up 0.2%
* Glencore slumps 9%, biggest drag to main index
* Burberry boosted by Moncler speculation
* Dunelm soars after profit forecast upgrade
* M&G down 2% on suspension in dealing in property fund
(Adds company news items, updates share moves to closing
prices)
LONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 slid on Thursday
due to a 9% plunge in Glencore after news of a bribery
investigation and as dollar earners fell with sterling gaining
on growing hopes that the upcoming election will not result in a
hung parliament.
Sterling rallied to a 2-1/2 year peak against the euro and a
seven-month high against the dollar.
A stronger pound weighs on the overseas earnings of
multinationals such as HSBC and Unilever as
well as mining companies and oil majors.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index ended 0.7% lower,
lagging its peers in Europe and on Wall Street.
The more domestically focused mid-cap index, the FTSE 250
, added 0.2%, led higher by a near 20% surge in home
furnishings retailer Dunelm after it raised profit
expectations.
The index also got a boost from strengthening in the local
currency.
"The pound became Thursday's focus, one week away from the
UK's general election," said Spreadex analyst Connor Campbell.
Lack of fresh updates on the U.S.-China trade front also
brought some caution among traders across the globe.
Among single stocks, Glencore tumbled to a
three-year low after news that Britain's Serious Fraud Office
has launched an investigation into the diversified miner over
suspicions of bribery.
The fall wiped roughly 2 billion pounds ($2.57 billion) off
Glencore's market cap, leaving it with a valuation of 30 billion
pounds at session end.
Among the best blue-chip performers was Burberry
after a report that French group Kering had expressed
interest in a potential takeover of Italy's Moncler.
The M&A speculation comes hard on the heels of LVMH's
$16 billion takeover of jeweller Tiffany and
has reinforced the appeal of the sector despite U.S. threats to
slap tariffs on French luxury products.
Burberry was up 3.1% while European peers Moncler, LVMH,
Kering and Hugo Boss also gained, with Moncler's 7%
jump leading the pack.
On the midcap index, luxury sports car maker Aston Martin
, which has tanked 70% since a 2018 debut, surged 18.2%
after a report that the owner of Formula One team Racing Point,
Lawrence Stroll, was preparing a bid for major stake.
Fund manager M&G Investments, meanwhile, fell 2%
after it suspended dealing in its flagship UK property fund on
Wednesday, citing the impact of Brexit uncertainty.
Another significant mover was online fashion retailer Boohoo
, which slid 6% after its founders sold shares worth
142.5 million pounds ($182.8 million).
Packaging firm DS Smith dropped over 7% after
financial results failed to cheer investors.
($1 = 0.7794 pounds)
(Reporting by Thyagaraju Adinarayan, Julien Ponthus, Joice
Alves and Muvija M; Editing by David Goodman and Ken Ferris
Editing by David Goodman)
