Consumer staple stocks drag FTSE 100 lower

div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpReuters – Londons FTSE 100 slipped on Tuesday dragged down by consumer staple and healthcare stocks as global growth concerns kept investors on edge.

The bluechip index fell 0.4, with spirits maker Diageo, Dove soap maker Unilever and personal goods maker Reckitt Benckiser Group down between 1.9 and 2.3.pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

However, gains in commodity stocks kept losses in check. Oil majors BP and Shell rose 1.3 and 1.5, respectively, after JP Morgan raised its price targets on the companies shares. [OR]p

Miners gained 1.5, tracking metal prices, on hopes of more stimulus by China and low inventoryled supply worries. [METL]

The domestically focused midcap FTSE 250 index declined 0.9. SSP Group, owner of Upper Crust and other catering brands, slid 5.6 after Deutsche Bank downgraded the companys shares to “hold” from “buy”.

Spectris rose 3.2 after the electrical engineering firm said it will sell specialist sensor maker Omega Engineering to private equity firm Arcline Investment Management for 525 million.

Reporting by Devik Jain in Bengaluru Editing by Shounak Dasguptap

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