LONDON: London’s FTSE 100 fell on Thursday, dragged down by consumer staples and industrials stocks, while investors looked to the Bank of England’s policy meeting for forecasts around the pace of Britain’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index was down 0.2%, with consumer staples stocks including Unilever Plc, Diageo Plc and Reckitt Benckiser Group shedding between 0.5% and 1.1%.

Industrials stocks, mainly Intertek Group, Bunzl plc and BAE Systems, were also among the biggest decliners.

The domestically focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index gained 0.1%, led by real estate stocks.

Gambling group 888 Holdings rose 5.8%, after posting higher annual adjusted core earnings and signalling strong momentum in 2021 so far, as more people shifted to online betting during coronavirus restrictions.

Drinks maker Fever-Tree fell 8.6%, despite a better 2021 revenue forecast with at-home drinking catching on and sales at lockdown-hit bars and restaurants expected to gradually gain momentum.

British 10-year gilt yield rose to a one-year high of 0.876% as the market opened.