* FTSE 100 lags S&P 500, STOXX 600 YTD
* Antofagasta drags main index after H1 profit fall
* Real estate stocks gain on defensive plays
(Updates to close)
By Muvija M and Ambar Warrick
Aug 20 (Reuters) - UK shares ended lower on Thursday after
the U.S. Federal Reserve struck a cautious note over the U.S.
economic recovery, while several big companies going ex-dividend
added to pressure on the bluechip index.
The FTSE 100 ended down 1.6%, with insurer
Prudential and miner Anglo American among those
trading ex-dividend. The midcap index fell 0.5%.
Minutes from the Fed's July 28-29 policy meeting warned of a
highly uncertain path for recovery from the global health crisis
that has hammered economic growth across the world.
"(Fed) minutes are casting a shadow over markets and
underline that any recovery is not going to be a straight line
of advances," Markets.com analyst Neil Wilson said.
U.S. stocks have hit record highs despite the worries over
the economic recovery, while in Europe and Britain stock indexes
are yet to recover from falls caused by fallout from the virus.
The FTSE 100 is lagging its peers in Europe and in the United
States.
Real estate stocks were one of the
few sectors that gained on the day, benefiting from safe-haven
demand.
On corporate news-driven moves, miner Antofagasta
fell more than 5% after reporting a plunge in half-year
earnings.
Along with Antofagasta's results, a drop in copper prices
from a more than one-year high also hit miners, with Glencore
, BHP and Rio Tinto falling between 2%
and 4%.
Losses in the midcap index were limited by gains in Mike
Ashley's Frasers Group along with a number of real
estate stocks.
Frasers jumped 13% after it forecast growth of up to 30% in
its new financial year, while electricals maker AO World
added more than 3% as it said demand for its products and
services continued even after its rivals reopened stores in
July.
Infrastructure group John Laing plummeted 7%,
marking its worst day since early-July after reporting a
half-year loss and saying it was unlikely to meet its 1 billion
pound investment target by the end of 2021.
(Reporting by Ambar Warrick and Muvija M in Bengaluru; Editing
by Subhranshu Sahu and Jane Merriman)
