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UPDATE 2-British shares trip up after four-day rally; Hargreaves slips

Published 02/08/2020, 12:58 AM
UPDATE 2-British shares trip up after four-day rally; Hargreaves slips

* FTSE 100 down 0.5%, FTSE 250 down 0.3%
* Hargreaves Lansdown slides on main index
* Burberry warns of hit to demand from coronavirus
* Vodafone , TUI outperform

(Adds news items, analyst comments, updates to closing prices)
By Shashwat Awasthi
Feb 7 (Reuters) - British stocks fell on Friday after four
straight sessions of gains, as dealers locked in profits amid
nagging worries over the coronavirus, and investment platform
Hargreaves Lansdown slid following a discounted share sale by
its largest investor.
The FTSE 100 .FTSE declined 0.5%, with losses inflicted by
heavyweight oil stocks and miners as well as Hargreaves Lansdown
HRGV.L , which fell 6.1% to a near two-year low. The FTSE 250
.FTMC lost 0.3%. The China coronavirus has killed more than 600 people so
far, including a doctor who was among the first to sound the
alarm over the outbreak. "There has been no particular news behind the sell-off, but
profit-taking, weekend risk reduction and impending U.S. data
tonight have likely all contributed," OANDA analyst Jeffrey
Halley said.
Markets surged in recent sessions after sharp losses last
week. Beijing made firm moves to shore up its economy and cut
tariffs on some U.S. imports, while upbeat economic data from
the United States also supported risk sentiment.
Suggestions that a drug had been developed to combat the
virus also partly helped prop up markets this week, though the
World Health Organisation later dismissed the reports.
Still, the FTSE 100 enjoyed its best week in seven, while
the midcaps recorded their biggest gain in six weeks.
Burberry BRBY.L fell as much as 4.7% after it said the
coronavirus outbreak was hurting luxury demand in key markets in
the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. UAE-based NMC Health NMC.L , whose shares have more than
halved in value since the company came under criticism from
short-seller Muddy Waters late last year, slumped another 22% to
its lowest level since April 2015.
"This stock has been very volatile and we have seen big
swings on no news," said CMC Markets analyst David Madden.
"Volatility will remain until the report on the financial health
of the company is released."
Outperforming the main index were holiday company TUI
TUIT.L , which rose 1.5% after agreeing to sell its Hapag-Lloyd
Cruises unit, and telecoms firm Vodafone VOD.L which gained
1.3% after Jefferies upgraded the stock.

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