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UPDATE 2-FTSE 100 closes lower on weak oil majors; Midcaps boosted by G4S

Mon, 14th Sep 2020 09:39

* No-deal Brexit fears cap gains

* All eyes on BoE meeting on Thursday

* BP drops after it forecasts weak crude demand

* Security firm G4S marks best day ever
(Adds details, comment, updates to close)

By Shashank Nayar and Ambar Warrick

Sept 14 (Reuters) - London's blue-chip index fell on Monday
as the prospect of waning demand weighed on heavyweight energy
stocks, while security firm G4S propped up the midcap index
after it rejected a takeover from Canadia's GardaWorld.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 shed 0.1%, with oil and gas
major BP weighing the most after it forecast declining
fossil fuel demand due to climate policies and the coronavirus
epidemic. Oil prices were steady.

The mid-cap index added 0.7%, with G4S
surging to a near seven-month high after it rejected a 2.95
billion pound ($3.8 billion) offer from Canadian security firm
GardaWorld, saying it was "highly opportunistic".

Divorce talks between the United Kingdom and the European
Union continued to be at the forefront, with the bloc ramping up
pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to step back from
breaking the Brexit divorce treaty.

"Brexit is back with a bang, and there’s a growing risk that
the transition period will end with no trade agreement in place
between the UK and the EU," ING economists wrote in a note.

Markets are also awaiting Thursday's Bank of England policy
meeting, where it is likely to signal more stimulus to lift the
economy out of a deep recession that could be exacerbated by a
messy Brexit.

While steady stimulus has helped the FTSE 100 bounce from
its coronavirus lows earlier this year, surging cases and
middling economic data have seen the index stall in recent
months, with new Brexit fears also expected to weigh in the
near-term.

Drugmaker AstraZeneca fell slightly, despite
resuming British clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine, which
is one of the most advanced in development.

British recruiting firm SThree Plc rose 1.4% as it
said its underlying sequential performance had been improving
since the first half of the year.
(Reporting by Shashank Nayar in Bengaluru; Editing by
Subhranshu Sahu and Steve Orlofsky)

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