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* Morrisons surges on takeover bid from private equity firm
* Capita gains on strong revenue forecasts
* FTSE 100 down 0.3%, FTSE 250 off 0.2% (Updates prices, adds comment)
June 21 (Reuters) – London’s FTSE 100 fell to a one-month low on Monday, as losses in travel and mining stocks outweighed gains in retail shares, while supermarket chain Morrisons was the top gainer on the mid-cap index following a takeover pursuit.
Morrisons surged 31.7% as U.S. private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) was set to push ahead with its takeover pursuit, despite its initial offer being rejected.
The blue-chip index fell 0.3% to its lowest since May 19. Travel stocks declined the most, down nearly 7.5%, while miners slid 1.7%.
The domestically focussed mid-cap index slipped 0.2%.
“The bulls in the market have enjoyed a good long run and it must come to an end at some point, and we are seeing a little bit of rebalancing which is leading to some weakness,” said Michael Baker, an analyst at ETX Capital.
A recent spike in inflation that surged past the Bank of England’s target in May raised concerns among investors that the central bank could pull back its monetary support in a meeting due later this week.
“Central bank commentaries have changed the market view on inflation and it is a concern right now that the monetary support might be coming to an end,” added Baker.
Britain’s top central bank officials look set to remain divided this week over whether to pull the plug on their 875 billion-pound ($1.2 trillion) government bond purchase programme.
Asking prices for British homes between mid-May and early-June rose by 0.8%, compared with a month before, the biggest rise for the time of year since 2015, as available housing remains in short supply, property website Rightmove said.
Outsourcer Capita gained 6.0% after it said it was on track to post revenue growth for the first time in six years and agreed to sell its 51% stake in Axelos, a joint venture with the UK Cabinet Office. (Reporting by Shashank Nayar in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V)
