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* FTSE 100 up 0.1 pct at close, touches new record
* Persimmon lifts housebuilding sector
* Mid-caps outperform after more strong economic data
* Downgrades to Rolls Royce weighs on FTSE 100 (Adds details, updates prices at close)
By Kit Rees and Alistair Smout
LONDON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Britain's top share index rose toa fresh record high on Thursday, boosted by a bullish updatefrom housebuilder Persimmon, which reported a rise insales despite Britain's vote last year to leave the EuropeanUnion.
Britain's FTSE 100 touched a new record at 7,211.96points as it gained in early trading. The index has hit freshrecord highs in three of the last four sessions.
Persimmon was the top gainer on the index, up 7.2 percentand touching its highest level since the Brexit referendum.
It reported an 8 percent revenue rise and said sales hadincreased by 15 percent between July and December, confoundingpredictions that the Brexit vote could harm property-relatedcompanies, though the stock price remains down 9.9 percent sincethe June 23 referendum.
Sector peers also rose on Thursday, with Taylor Wimpey up 5 percent and Barratt Developments gaining2.8 percent.
"This latest positive update from a sector major adds toyesterday's positive UK PMI Construction read and improvingmortgage approvals data, while the UK mortgage market remainshighly competitive and government initiatives supportive," saidMike van Dulken, head of research at Accendo Markets.
"Although house price data does remain notoriously mixed,the post-Brexit crash foreseen by many simply hasn'tmaterialised and prices held up remarkably well."
Bullish domestic data in Britain continued on Thursday asthe services sector grew at the fastest rate since mid-2015,even though costs rose following a weakening of sterling afterthe Brexit vote, an industry survey showed.
The survey put downward pressure on the FTSE 100, taking itoff its earlier highs, as strength in sterling impacted firmswith international exposure.
The FTSE 100 closed 0.1 percent higher at 7,195.31 points.
Gold miners Fresnillo and Randgold Resources were also among top gainers, up 6.4 percent and 4.8percent respectively as the price of gold rose to a four-weekhigh.
The domestically-exposed FTSE 250 mid-cap indexoutperformed the FTSE 100, rising 0.9 percent. It was supportedby a 14 percent rise in Nostrum Oil & Gas, which wassupported by an upgrade from Deutsche Bank to "buy" from "hold".
Mid-cap gold miners Hochschild and Acacia Mining gained 12.3 percent and 10.2 percent respectively.
A "buy" rating from Panmure Gordon also helped biotech firmBTG rise 5.6 percent.
Rolls Royce was the top faller among the blue chips,down 4.2 percent after JP Morgan cut their target price on thestock, warning that earnings would be "highly depressed" overthe next several years. (Reporting by Kit Rees and Alistair Smout; Editing by GarethJones)
