Last checked at 
* FTSE 100 up 0.1%, FTSE 250 up 0.8%
* Miners, banks biggest boost to main index
* Compass Group slips after warning on Europe performance
* LSE up as shareholders vote in favour of Refinitiv deal
* De La Rue issues going concern warning, scraps dividend
(Adds company news items, updates to closing prices)
By Shashwat Awasthi and Muvija M
Nov 26 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 eked out gains despite
an 8% slide in catering firm Compass Group on growing hopes of a
U.S.-China trade resolution, while gains in LSE after
shareholder approval for its Refinitiv deal and a weaker
sterling also provided support.
The blue-chip index added 0.1%, while a 16% surge in
pet supplies retailer Pets at Home after upbeat profit forecast
helped mid-cap stocks outperform and close up 0.8% at its
highest level in nearly 15 months.
The FTSE 250 index was outperforming the UK blue-chips as
well as the broader European benchmark, even as the
pound fell after polls showed the Conservative Party's lead was
narrowing before the December election.
Traders are buying into domestically-focused shares as they
still believe the Conservatives will win a majority next month,
which could potentially put an end to Brexit delays, CMC Markets
analyst David Madden said.
The recent gains have placed the midcap index on course for
its best yearly performance since 2014.
On the main board, however, Compass recorded its
worst day in over a decade after the company said deteriorating
business and consumer confidence hit performance in Europe.
Shares of London Stock Exchange climbed 2.1% after
its shareholders overwhelmingly backed its $27 billion takeover
of data and analytics company Refinitiv.
Thomson Reuters , the parent company of
Reuters News, holds a 45% stake in Refinitiv.
The blue-chip bourse still took home its third consecutive
session of gains as hopes that the United States and China could
yet sign a "phase one" trade deal gained traction after top
negotiators from both countries held a phone call to try and
hammer out some details.
OANDA analyst Craig Erlam said markets were clinging to
every headline that emanates on the trade front, amid a lack of
major day-to-day updates.
"The details of the call were lacking, but the language used
was promising...as long as that remains the case, investors will
be optimistic of a deal," Erlam said.
Small-cap De La Rue, which last month hit its
lowest level in over two decades following a profit warning,
plummeted 24% after it raised going concern doubts and scrapped
its dividend.
"De La Rue is teetering on the brink," Markets.com analyst
Neil Wilson said. "Today's update is worrying for investors
because it suggests there's more damage out there to be done to
the shares."
(Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi and Safia Infant in Bengaluru;
Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
