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* FTSE 100 down 0.2%, FTSE 250 flat
Aug 26 (Reuters) - The FTSE 100 slipped on Wednesday,
weighed by a sell-off in stocks ranging from energy to consumer
staples and financials, while investor attention turned to an
annual central bankers' conference later in the week.
The commodity-heavy FTSE 100 .FTSE was down 0.2%, with BP
Plc BP.L , Royal Dutch Shell Plc RDSa.L , British American
Tobacco Plc BATS.L and HSBC Holdings Plc HSBA.L among the
top drags.
The benchmark index has struggled to build on a strong start
to the week as signs of a sluggish economic rebound overshadowed
optimism around COVID-19 vaccines and U.S.-China trade. All eyes
are now on U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's address at
the virtual Jackson Hole Symposium on Thursday. Doorstep lender Provident Financial PFG.L jumped 8.3% even
as it sank to a loss in the first half of 2020 and suspended its
interim dividend. Its shares have more than halved in value this
year. The mid-cap FTSE 250 .FTMC was flat in early trading.