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* Broker TP ICAP slips as first-half profit falls
* UK PM raises taxes to tackle health crisis
* 888 in talks to buy William Hill's non-U.S. assets; shares
down
* FTSE 100 down 0.5%, FTSE 250 off 0.6%
(Updates to close)
By Devik Jain and Amal S
Sept 7 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 index ended lower on
Tuesday, weighed down by healthcare stocks and brokerages, while
DS Smith jumped to the top of the index after an upbeat trading
update.
The blue-chip index fell 0.5% and marked its worst
session in nearly three weeks, as healthcare
weighed with drugmakers AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline
among top drags.
Investment banking and brokerage services providers
shed 1% after TP ICAP Group Plc reported a lower
half-year profit.. Shares of the world's largest
inter-dealer broker slipped 10.7%.
DS Smith jumped 2.8% to the top of the index as
J.P. Morgan raised its price target on the cardboard maker's
stock after it said trading continued to progress well in line
with the trends.
European stocks edged down as investors awaited the European
Central Bank's policy meeting on Thursday for clues on how the
crisis-fighting measures would be dismantled.
"After a weak US jobs report last Friday prompted
speculation the Federal Reserve would hold off on tapering
support for the economy, attention will switch to the European
Central Bank this week as it unveils its latest decision on
monetary policy on Thursday," said Russ Mould, investment
director at AJ Bell.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out
plans to raise taxes on workers, employers and some investors to
try to fix a health and social care funding crisis sending pound
down.
The domestically focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index was
down 0.6% dragged by industrial stocks.
Among individual stocks, 888 fell 1.8% after the
British gambling group said it was in advanced talks with
Caesars Entertainment for a possible acquisition of the
international operations of the U.S. company's William Hill
business.
Meggitt Plc fell 12.1% to the bottom of mid-cap
index after aerospace parts maker TransDigm bowed out of
an $8.7 billion takeover battle with fellow U.S. bidder
Parker-Hannifin for the British engineering firm.
(Reporting by Devik Jain and Amal S in Bengaluru; Editing by
Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Uttaresh.V, Editing by William
Maclean)
