Dr. Martens tumbles on dour forecast
Vodafone, Imperial Brands slide on exdividend trade
FTSE 100 up 0.3, FTSE 250 adds 0.7

Nov 24 Reuters UK39;s main stock indexes rose on Thursday on signs that the U.S. Federal Reserve might ease its aggressive stance on interest rate hikes, while Dr. Martens tumbled after the bootmaker warned of weaker demand ahead of busy Christmas season.

The bluechip FTSE 100 rose 0.3 in thin trading as U.S. markets were shut for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Wall Street ended higher on Wednesday after minutes from the Fed39;s November meeting showed policymakers agreed it would likely soon be appropriate to slow the pace of interest rate hikes.

I think the takeaway is that we39;re possibly at the start of a more dovish narrative from the Fed and that, going forward, there is hope that dovish narrative will gain momentum, said Stuart Cole, head macro economist at Equiti Capital.

The domestically focused FTSE 250 midcaps rose 0.7, also reflecting the upbeat mood in equity markets.

A weak spot was Dr. Martens, which tumbled 20 and looked set for its biggest percentage drop ever, after warning that its annual core profit margin would be lower than last year.

UK stock markets have recovered sharply since a botched minibudget roiled sentiment in October, with investors hoping that measures by the new government will help instil confidence even as Britain faces what is expected to be a lengthy recession.

British energy regulator Ofgem said its…