UPDATE 1-British mid-caps dip as Brexit mood sours

* FTSE 100 up 0.2%, FTSE 250 down 0.5%
* N. Ireland's DUP says cannot back current Brexit deal
* Grafton tumbles after profit alert, drags peers lower
* Moneysupermarket falls after trading update

(Adds news items, analyst comments, graphic, updates share
prices)
By Shashwat Awasthi
Oct 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 250 slid on Thursday after
Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) cast doubts
on the prospects of a Brexit deal, while shares of building
materials suppliers and homebuilders tumbled after Grafton's
profit alert.
The FTSE 250 .FTMC , up more than 3% since last week amid a
flurry of contrasting Brexit headlines, shed 0.5% as sterling
slipped after the DUP said it could not back the Brexit deal as
it currently stands. The FTSE 100 .FTSE snapped a three-day losing run and
edged 0.2% higher by 0800 GMT, helped by a rebound in oil majors
Shell RDSa.L and BP BP.L after days of sell-off.
Unilever ULVR.L added 1.5% after its quarterly update and,
along with fellow exporter firms, benefited from a weaker pound
to further support the main index.
Mid-cap Grafton GFTU_u.L slid 12%, on track for its worst
day since June 2016, after it warned on its annual profit due to
weak demand in the UK and delays in new construction permits in
the Netherlands. Peers Travis Perkins TPK.L , Howden Joinery HWDN.L and
SIG SHI.L gave up between 2% and 5.4%. Housebuilders such as Barratt BDEV.L , Taylor Wimpey TW.L
and Berkeley BKGH.L fell on a combination of Grafton's warning
and downbeat Brexit sentiment.
"Brexit has moved to the season finale it seems," said
Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst, Asia Pacific at OANDA.
Britain and the EU seemed to be on the verge of a deal on
Wednesday and European Council President Donald Tusk said that
the basic foundations of the agreement were ready. But, CMC Markets' Michael Hewson warned that progress could
get "a little tricky", as doubts remain over whether or not
British lawmakers will approve the deal at a special
parliamentary session on Saturday.
"Looking at options markets, dealers started adding more
premium on the short side than the long side after the DUP
statement," said Hussein Sayed, chief market strategist at FXTM.
News-driven moves saw Moneysupermarket.com MONY.L tumble
9% to a six-month low after a trading update. Liberum analysts
said its insurance and money divisions underperformed.
Britain's biggest pizza delivery company Domino's DOM.L
jumped nearly 6%, however, on plans to exit its international
markets. Shares of Hargreaves Lansdown HRGV.L fell 3.4% to the
bottom of the blue-chip index. The Financial Times reported that
UK's financial watchdog was examining the firm's role after the
collapse of money manager Neil Woodford's flagship funds.
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Share performance of Grafton and peers since 2016 https://tmsnrt.rs/2IX9J7C
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