Dechra Pharmaceuticals surges on buyout deal
Superdry falls on potential equity raise
888 Holdings rise after upbeat outlook
FTSE 100 up 0.2, FTSE 250 adds 0.9

April 14 Reuters Britain39;s FTSE 100 inched up on Friday and was set for a fourth straight weekly gain, boosted by shares of pharmaceuticals and consumer staple firms, while miners tracked copper prices higher.

The bluechip FTSE 100 edged up 0.2, while the midcap FTSE 250 added 0.9 as of 0816 GMT.

Healthcare stocks added 0.9, with Dechra, jumping 36.2 after the British veterinary pharmaceuticals maker said it had entered into talks with private equity group EQT for a possible offer in a 4.63 billion pounds 5.80 billion allcash deal.

Consumer staples British American Tobacco Plc and Diageo Plc rose 0.6 and 0.4, respectively.

Investors just seem to be gravitating to companies that aren39;t overly cyclical, have strong dependable margins, like consumer staples, healthcare and luxury companies, said Patrick Armstrong, chief investment officer, Plurimi Wealth.

These are companies aren39;t really driven by the lower end consumer, they have stable cash flows, revenues and would be less at risk if we do fall into a recession.

Firm copper prices lifted industrial miners 0.3.

Oil and gas stocks, however, slipped 0.3, tracking weakness in oil prices after the International Energy Agency warned that output cuts announced by OPEC producers could exacerbate an oil supply deficit and hurt consumers.

FTSE 100 is…