(Reuters) - The FTSE 100 gained a bit on Tuesday, with investors hopeful ahead of U.S.-China trade talks later this week, which overshadowed a slump in LSE after the Hong Kong bourse dropped its takeover bid and recruiters fell after weak trading updates.
The FTSE 100 <.FTSE> edged 0.1% higher by 0707 GMT, with the midcaps <.FTMC> also rising by the same level.
Ahead of the trade negotiations, corporate news dominated market moves, with LSE <LSE.L> falling 6% after Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing <0388.HK> scrapped its unsolicited $39 billion offer as it failed to convince LSE management.
Recruiters Pagegroup <PAGE.L> and Robert Walters <RWA.L> plunged 15% and 10.4%, respectively, after their results revealed that a host of macroeconomic troubles including the U.S.-China trade war, Hong Kong protests and Brexit heavily hindered performance.
(Reporting by Muvija M and Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)
