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* FTSE 100 down 0.2%, FTSE 250 off 0.1%
April 12 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 fell on Monday,
dragged lower by heavyweight banking and mining stocks, while
shares of shopping centre operator Hammerson gained on plans to
shore up its finances.
The blue-chip index .FTSE slipped 0.2% after recording its
best weekly performance since early-January on Friday.
The wider banks' index .FTNMX301010 slid 0.8%, with HSBC
Holdings HSBA.L being the biggest loser.
Miners Anglo American AAL.L , BHP Group BHPB.L , and
Glencore GLEN.L tumbled more than 1% each, tracking lower
metal prices. MET/L
The domestically focussed mid-cap FTSE 250 index .FTMC
edged 0.1% lower, with airline easyJet EZJ.L falling 2.5%
after HSBC downgraded the stock to "hold" from "buy".
Hammerson HMSO.L gained 1.4% after the company confirmed
that it was in talks for a possible sale of its retail parks
portfolio to Canadian private equity player Brookfield Asset
Management BAMa.TO . C4X Discovery C4XD.L jumped 16.3% after the drug developer
signed an exclusive licensing deal worth up to $492.12 million
with French drugmaker Sanofi SASY.PA to develop an oral
therapy for treatment of inflammatory diseases.