Exporters, NMC Health buoy FTSE; Brexit jitters hit domestic firms

London's exporter-heavy FTSE 100 rose for the sixth straight session on Wednesday as renewed worries of a chaotic Brexit hit sterling and NMC Health rebounded from steep losses, while domestic stocks dropped amid uncertainty at home.

The FTSE 100 added 0.2%, led by an 8% jump in UAE-based healthcare group NMC that stood by its 2019 and 2020 targets, a day after a short attack from Muddy Waters wiped off nearly a third of its market value. The FTSE 250 lagged the blue-chip benchmark as it gave up 0.4%. British firms that make most of their money at home were affected after Britain set a hard deadline of December 2020 to reach a new trade deal with the European Union.

AIM-listed Staffline plunged 31% to its lowest level in more than a decade, after the recruiter issued its third profit warning this year.