* FTSE 100 down 0.1%, FTSE 250 up 0.4%
* Tobacco cos, drugmakers lead losses on main index
* NMC up after hiking FY forecast
* Galliford gains after snubbing Bovis' offer for units
* Thomas Cook surges after Berenberg ups rating (Adds news items, analyst comment, updates share prices)By Shashwat AwasthiMay 28 (Reuters) - A drop in blue-chip tobacco stocks aftera report showing declining cigarette volumes and losses inpharmaceutical giants was enough to offset gains in miningheavyweights and push London's main stock index into the red onTuesday.The FTSE 100 was 0.1% lower, while the mid-cap FTSE250 rose 0.4%.British American Tobacco and Imperial Brands were among the biggest drags on the main index afterdata from Nielsen showed cigarette industry volumes deterioratedin the four weeks to May 18. AstraZeneca snapped a four-day winning streak andrival GlaxoSmithKline also fell after rising for thelast three sessions.
The drugmakers gave up more than 2% each, and offset a risein miners that had capitalised on China's iron ore priceshitting record highs earlier on Tuesday. The session's trading came against the backdrop of continueduncertainty over China's trade dispute with the United States,after U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington was not readyto make a deal with Beijing but that he expected one in thefuture."News here, rumours there - not a lot for markets to reallyhang their hats on right now," Markets.com analyst Neil Wilsonsaid.In a news-driven move, healthcare provider NMC Health advanced 7.5% on its best day in more than six monthsafter hiking its 2019 revenue and core earnings targets.Brexit-sensitive stocks such as retailers, which took a hitlast week ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May's announcementthat she would resign, also recouped some losses."The UK is sort of stuck in limbo, unable to fully moveforward with anything Brexit-related until the next PM isfound," Spreadex analyst Connor Campbell said.Shares of mid-cap builder Galliford , one of thoseto have suffered from the collapse of major governmentcontractor Carillion last year, were up 3.6%. They had earliersurged as much as 8.2% after news emerged of a rebuffed offerfor two of its units from Bovis Homes .Tour operator Thomas Cook , hammered last week byworries over its cashflow and summer sales, climbed more than21% on its best day since early December, after Berenberg raisedits rating to "hold" from "sell", citing bids the company hassaid it has received for its airline unit. "The deterioration in Thomas Cook's financial positionleaves the company looking for a white knight to pay a fairlypunchy multiple for the airline," Berenberg analysts wrote.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^FTSE 100 on course for first monthly loss this year ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi and Muvija M in BengaluruEditing by Patrick Graham, Andrew Heavens and Frances Kerry)