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* Glencore shines on restoring dividend
* Serco rises on buyout offer for Whitney, Bradley & Brown
* BHP up on declaring record dividend
* FTSE 100 down -0.1%, FTSE 250 flat
(Updates to close)
By Shivani Kumaresan, Amal S and Shashank Nayar
Feb 16 (Reuters) - The FTSE 100 ended lower on Tuesday after
investors took a breather after three consecutive sessions of
gains, while bets on a vaccine-led economic recovery and a jump
in mining stocks helped support the commodity -heavy index.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 ended down -0.1%, with
pharmaceutical and construction stocks
leading declines, while most mining stocks were top boosts to
the index.
Miners Rio Tinto, BHP Group and Glencore
were among the top gainers on the index.
The mid-cap FTSE 250 index was flat.
"With the general outlook being still largely positive on UK
equities, markets have taken a little breather after consistent
gains over the past few sessions," said Michael Baker, an
analyst at ETX Capital.
The FTSE 100 has recovered nearly 35% from its March 2020
lows and is now 12% below its peak last year, led by stimulus
support, but a surge in infections and lockdowns have recently
slowed the pace of gains.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday he would plot a
cautious but irreversible path out of the COVID-19 lockdown this
week after the vaccination of 15 million vulnerable people.
Glencore jumped 2.0% as it reinstated its dividend
after its net debt fell by 10% in 2020, helped by surging
commodity prices in the second half.
BHP Group rose 1.5% after the miner reported its
best first-half profit in seven years and declared a record
interim dividend.
British outsourcer Serco climbed 4.8% and was the
second best performer in the midcap index after saying it would
buy consulting services provider Whitney, Bradley & Brown Inc
from an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital for $295 million to bolster
its North American defence business.
Miner Petra Diamonds gained 6.1% as its half-year
core earnings jumped 20%, although it cautioned that the
pandemic might impact its ability to operate within its
covenants.
(Reporting by Shivani Kumaresan and Amal S in Bengaluru;
Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Jonathan Oatis)