AstraZeneca jumps on positive cancer drug update
Focus on UK labour, CPI data later this week
FTSE 100 up 0.2, FTSE 250 adds 0.1

Aug 15 Reuters UK39;s FTSE 100 edged up on Monday as gains in drugmaker AstraZeneca and consumer stocks relieved pressure from mining and oil heavyweights after data showed China39;s economy unexpectedly slowed last month.

The bluechip FTSE 100 added 0.2 to hold near 10week highs, while the midcap FTSE 250 index inched up 0.1.

Investors are awaiting the UK employment report as well as consumer prices data later this week to gauge the state of the labour market and inflation.

The data could offer clues on whether the Bank of England opts for a second consecutive 50basispointrate hike at its September meeting.

The mood was dull in Asian and European stock markets, with investors turning to defensive sectors such as healthcare and consumer staples amid worries about the health of the world39;s secondlargest economy. 

AstraZeneca gained 2.6 after the drugmaker said its cancer drug, Enhertu, developed with Japan39;s Daiichi Sankyo delayed the progression of a form of advanced breast cancer in previously treated patients.

Oil major Shell and miners Rio Tinto and Anglo American slipped, in tandem with weaker commodity prices, after the release of the China data.

The FTSE 100 has outperformed its global peers this year due to its large exposure to commodity stocks that have surged on the back of a jump in oil and metal prices. A weakening…