BoE rate decision at 1100 GMT
FirstGroup down as UK govt takes temporary control
HSBC, BP, Tesco trades lower sans dividend
ITV slides on Q1 ad revenue drop
FTSE 100 up 0.3, FTSE 250 adds 0.1

May 11 Reuters UK39;s bluechip FTSE 100 index was slightly up on Thursday, helped by gains in shares of exportoriented firms as the pound declined ahead of the Bank of England39;s BoE monetary policy decision.

The central bank is expected to announce a 25 basis point rate hike at 1100 GMT, taking borrowing costs to their highest level since 2008 as it battles double digit inflation.

Following the announcement, market participants will keenly parse comments by Governor Andrew Bailey for clues on the outlook for inflation and consequent monetary tightening.

The BoE has been the most lenient central bank so far with rate hikes, Capital.com senior market analyst Daniela Hathorn said.

Investors are slightly concerned that the central bank is not going to do enough, which is why we39;re seeing the pound down a bit.

The bluechip FTSE 100 rose 0.3 as healthcare stocks and consumer staples firms including Unilever Plc surged after the pound dropped 0.4. The currency had hit a fivemonth high on Wednesday.

The FTSE largecap and midcap indexes have hit shaky ground in May following a rebound in April, as uncertainty concerning the outlook for interest rates and a mixed bag of corporate earnings dented investor sentiment.

The more domesticallyfocussed midcap FTSE 250 added 0.1 by…