FTSE 100 subdued as gains from less hawkish Fed comments tempered by global caution

• FTSE 100 up 0.1%; FTSE 250 flat
• Healthcare stocks lead gains, tech, utilities fall
• Entain dips after CFO replacement plans
• Grizzly Research short on Ceres Power, shares dip

Dec 11 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 held steady on Thursday, as the U.S. Federal Reserve chairman's comments, suggesting a less hawkish stance than anticipated, were met with a global cautious sentiment that limited gains.

The UK's blue-chip FTSE 100 .FTSE was up 0.1% by 1043 GMT, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 .FTMC index was little changed.

The Fed lowered rates by an expected 25 basis points in a divided vote on Wednesday, but signalled interest rates are unlikely to fall further in the near term as it awaits clarity on the labour market.

"Though Powell stressed a wait-and-watch approach, the statement and press conference were less hawkish than feared... the door thus remains open for further easing, though at a slower pace," said Mohit Kumar, an economist at Jefferies.

Healthcare stocks on the FTSE 100 were the biggest boosts, with AstraZeneca AZN.L up 1% and Convatec CTEC.L adding 2.6%.

Miners .FTNMX551020 gained 0.2%, tracking a rise in copper prices.

However, utilities .FTUB6510 declined 0.5%, while tech stocks, though not heavily weighted on the benchmark index, slipped by 0.8%.

Investors adopted a cautious stance against tech stocks globally following a dour forecast from U.S. cloud firm Oracle ORCL.N, renewing some concerns over valuation and returns on lofty AI investments, which had caused a sell-off in November.

Among individual stocks, Entain ENT.L fell 3.4% to the bottom of the FTSE 100, after the gambling firm said International Distribution Services executive Michael Snape will replace current finance chief and deputy CEO Rob Wood next year.

Associated British Foods ABF.L fell 2% as the Primark owner traded without entitlement to its latest dividend payout.

RS Group RS1R.L topped the FTSE 250 with a 5.7% gain after a rating upgrade from J.P.Morgan, while Ceres Power CWR.L slid 3.5% after Grizzly Research disclosed a short position in the clean-energy firm.