London midcaps hit a nearly one-month low as gilt yields surge

Sept 2 (Reuters) - London's midcap stocks slipped to a nearly one-month low on Wednesday, extending losses as UK bond yields hit 19-year highs on renewed inflation fears after the U.S. and Iran exchanged fresh strikes in the Middle East. 

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index fell 0.3% to 10,756.45 points, while the midcap FTSE 250 index slipped 0.8% to its lowest since August 4. 

• UK's 10-year gilt yield rose to 5.294% early in the session, its highest since August 2007, before easing to 5.236%, increasing challenges for finance minister John Healey ahead of October's budget.

• "This rise in yields, which will eat directly into the government's fiscal headroom, raises the risk of tax hikes in the autumn, even before accounting for any additional spending increases that Burnham seems likely to pursue," said Matthew Ryan, head of market strategy at Ebury.

• Among rate-sensitive sectors, utilities and homebuilders slipped 1.9% and 1.8%, respectively.

• Retailers fell 1.9%, leading sectoral declines.

• Heavyweight banks firmed 0.5%, with Standard Chartered gaining the most, rising 1.6%.

• On the macro front, the British Chambers of Commerce said Britain's economy is set to grow a bit faster than previously expected in 2026 after withstanding the initial impact of the Iran war, but firms remain wary about investments.

• The energy sector gained 0.3%, with oil prices trading above $95 a barrel following renewed hostilities in the Gulf between U.S. and Iran. [O/R]

• Miners Fresnillo and Endeavour gained 1.9% each as precious metal prices rose.

• Education company Pearson fell 2.2% after brokerage Citigroup cut its rating to "neutral" from "buy".

(Reporting by Anand Gopal and Utkarsh Hathi in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Jonathan Ananda)