* FTSE 100 up 1.6%, FTSE 250 rises 1.3%
* BP, Ferguson among top blue-chip gainers
* Micro Focus lags midcaps, sinks to six-year low
(Updates to closing prices)
By Shashwat Awasthi and Muvija M
Feb 4 (Reuters) - UK shares leaped on Tuesday as China's
central bank took steps to shore up the economy, easing fears
about the global impact of the coronavirus epidemic, while
positive corporate reports from blue-chips added momentum.
The FTSE 100 jumped 1.6%, with the leader board
dominated by BP, which rose 4.2% after increasing its
dividend, and plumbing parts distributor Ferguson up 7%
at a record high as it mulls listing shares in the United
States.
The FTSE 250 was also tracking Asian stock markets
higher, adding 1.3%. Both British benchmark indexes recorded
their strongest day since mid-December.
China's central bank has injected 1.7 trillion yuan through
reverse repos into its market this week, amid the fast-spreading
epidemic that has killed more than 420 people.
"Support from the PBOC (People's Bank of China) is helping
stabilise things, whilst there does not yet appear to be a
serious escalation in the rate of new cases in China,"
Markets.com analyst Neil Wilson said.
"Tentative signs of a plateauing in new cases will be
supportive of risk."
Though worries over the fallout from the coronavirus linger,
markets are staging a comeback following a sell-off last week,
with generally upbeat corporate earnings and economic data
soothing some nerves.
Analysts at BlackRock said they expect these factors to
support further global growth this year, though the unknown
magnitude and duration of the outbreak poses downside risks.
Shares of Glencore jumped 5.2% as the miner
maintained its 2020 production targets.
NMC Health ended 3.3% lower despite it reassuring
investors that its trading for 2019 was in line with
expectations. It had climbed as much as 9% earlier in the day.
Its stock has shed more than half its value since December
when it came under attack from U.S. short-seller Muddy Waters.
A prominent FTSE 250 gainer was transport firm FirstGroup
, which jumped 6% after property investor Robert
Tchenguiz raised his stake.
IT firm Micro Focus tanked 22.3% to a near six-year
low and underperformed the midcaps after reporting lower annual
results.
"Today's update was particularly painful seeing as the
company has issued a few profit warnings in recent years," CMC
Markets analyst David Madden wrote of Micro Focus.
(Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi and Muvija M in Bengaluru;
Editing by Bernard Orr and Hugh Lawson)
