FTSE 100 up 0.4, FTSE 250 Flat

Oct 2 Reuters The UK39;s benchmark FTSE 100 stock index opened higher on Wednesday, led by energy and industrial metal mining shares, while JD Sports fell after the Nike retailer kept annual outlook unchanged despite a firsthalf profit beat.

The bluechip FTSE 100 was up 0.4 by 0720 GMT, while the more domesticallyfocussed midcap FTSE 250 index was flat.

Heavyweight oil and gas shares rose 2.5 as oil prices jumped by more than a dollar due to rising concerns that the Middle East tensions could escalate, potentially disrupting crude output from the region, following Iran39;s biggest ever military blow against Israel.

The industrial metal miners gained 1 on higher copper prices, buoyed by brighter demand prospects after China39;s stimulus measures.

JD Sports Fashion tumbled 5.5 to the bottom of FTSE 100, as the sports retailer did not update its annual guidance despite beating market outlook for firsthalf profit, citing a 20 million pound 26.6 mln foreign exchange headwind in the second half of the year.

The automobiles and parts index led sectoral declines, down 1.3, as Aston Martin lost 3.6, extending declines to a third consecutive session.

Elsewhere, pay settlements awarded by British employers held at their lowest in two years in the three months to August, according to a survey that could reassure the Bank of England as it considers whether to cut interest rates again.

Reporting by Khushi Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi…