British mid-caps trip as Brexit mood sours, Grafton slumps

  • Reuters
  • Stock Market News
British mid-caps trip as Brexit mood sours, Grafton slumps
Credit: © Reuters.

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* FTSE 100 up 0.1%, FTSE 250 down 0.5%

* N. Ireland's DUP says cannot back current Brexit deal

* Grafton tumbles after profit alert, drags peers lower

Oct 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 250 slid on Thursday after Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) cast fresh doubts over the prospects of a Brexit deal, while shares of Grafton and rival building materials distributors were hammered after a profit warning.

The FTSE 250 .FTMC , up more than 3% since last week amid a flurry of contrasting Brexit headlines, shed 0.5% after the DUP, which supports Boris Johnson's minority government, said it could not back the Brexit deal as it currently stands.

Shares of Grafton GFTU_u.L slid 10% after it warned on its annual profit, while peers Travis Perkins TPK.L , Howden Joinery HWDN.L and SIG SHI.L gave up between 2.3% and 6%. FTSE 100 .FTSE edged 0.1% higher by 0714 GMT, helped by gains in Unilever ULVR.L after its quarterly update and as other exporter firms rose due to a weaker pound.

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