US April CPI due at 1230 GMT
J D Wetherspoon up on upbeat FY outlook
ASOS tumbles on swinging to H1 loss
Melrose up on aerospacefocused outlook
FTSE 100, FTSE 250 down 0.2 each

May 10 Reuters UK stocks slipped for a second straight session on Wednesday amid investor caution ahead of U.S. inflation data, while Melrose39;s upbeat outlook lifted the aerospace firm39;s shares to an over threeyear high.

Melrose Industries Plc said it will continue as a pureplay aerospace company after the recent spinoff of its automotive unit and also forecast FY revenue in line with estimates, sending its shares 4.1 higher.

The FTSE 350 aerospace and defense sector housing the stock added 1.0.

The bluechip FTSE 100 fell 0.2, bogged down by a 0.5 drop in healthcare firms as shares of AstraZeneca Plc fell marginally.

The midcap FTSE 250 also lost 0.2 by 827 GMT, with ASOS Plc among top losers as the retailer swung to a firsthalf loss, sending its shares 12.1 lower to a near fourmonth low.

Investors eye April consumer inflation data in the world39;s largest economy, due at 1230 GMT, which could impact ratecut expectations by the Federal Reserve this year.

UK markets have been caught up with global sentiment, which is slight uncertainty about the path ahead for the U.S., said Giles Coghlan, chief market analyst at HYCM.

The Fed indicated a potential pause in rate hikes, which should be supportive for stocks, but there39;s uncertainty about the path of U.S. economic growth.

Both…