UK stocks down for third day as mixed earnings weigh

Updates with market close

Feb 20 (Reuters) - The main UK stock indexes fell for a third straight session on Thursday, trading near two-week lows, as heavyweight stocks fell and a mixed bag of corporate earnings did little to improve sentiment.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 .FTSE dropped 0.6%, dragged by declines in BP BP.L, AstraZeneca AZN.L, Easyjet EZJ.L, Imperial Brands IMB.L and GSK GSK.L as they traded without entitlement to their dividend payout.

UK stocks have come under pressure this week as a pick-up in domestic wages and jumping inflation dampened expectations of several interest rate cuts from the Bank of England (BoE) this year despite signs of sluggish economic growth.

Further, global stocks also dipped as investors assessed what U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs might mean for global trade and inflation.

Traders are awaiting UK consumer spending and business activity data after hot inflation print complicated the outlook for the BoE's monetary policy.

Rio Tinto RIO.L edged up 0.5% after the miner reported its lowest full-year underlying earnings in five years.

Lloyds Banking Group LLOY.L rose 4.9%, the most on the FTSE 100, it announced a 1.7 billion pound share buyback and maintained its guidance for 2026

Anglo American AAL.L climbed 2.5% after the miner agreed to merge its Los Bronces copper mine in Chile with state-backed Codelco's Andina mine. It posted a $3.1 billion loss after a writedown of its De Beers diamond business.

The midcap FTSE 250 .FTMC slipped 0.5%, dragged down by cruise operator Carnival CCL.L.

Ferrexpo FXPO.L tumbled 30% after Ukraine said it had moved to nationalise the Poltava mining and processing plant, the largest mine belonging to the iron ore pellets' producer, amid investigations into the alleged misappropriation of funds related to illegal mining.

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