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UPDATE 2-FTSE rallies for seventh day in a row as pound slips
* FTSE 100 up 0.4%, FTSE 250 flat
* Brexit vote eyed on Friday
* BoE meeting lacks surprises
* Just Eat see-saws after bidders raise offers
* TUI, Capita drop on brokerage actions (Adds news items, analyst comment, closing prices)
By Shashwat Awasthi and Yadarisa Shabong
Dec 19 (Reuters) - London's exporter-heavy FTSE 100 hit a more than four-month high on Thursday partly in response to a weaker pound, which came under pressure from fears Britain may leave the European Union without a trade deal at the end of 2020.
The FTSE 100 was up by 0.4%, rising for the seventh straight session. Its gains have been supported by a breakthrough on a U.S.-China trade deal and a landslide victory for Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the British national election.
The euphoria around Boris Johnson's win carried into this week but was soon overshadowed by fears of a chaotic Brexit after the government set a hard deadline of December 2020 to reach a new trade deal with the European Union.
That pushed sterling to two-week lows, helping blue-chip companies with a big international presence, such as Unilever and AstraZeneca, rise. The midcap index ended relatively flat after hitting all-time highs earlier this week.
A Bank of England meeting failed to deliver any surprises, leaving traders to look ahead to a parliamentary vote on Johnson's Brexit deal on Friday.
"Now that the dust has settled from the UK general election, and the U.S.-China trade deal, dealers don't know which way to look," CMC Markets analyst David Madden said.
"Between now and Christmas there isn't much on the horizon in terms of macroeconomic news, so it is possible that equity benchmarks will continue to trade sideways."
It was a quiet day on the corporate news front but Just Eat shares saw some action, ending 1.2% higher after Prosus NV and Takeaway.com served up their final offers for the British online food delivery group.
The Amsterdam-listed companies increased their bids, with Prosus offering 800 pence a share and Takeaway.com raising its all-share offer which values Just Eat at 916 pence per share based on its closing price on Wednesday.
Just Eat fell sharply after Prosus' announcement, before recovering to trade higher and touch a near one-and-half year high following Takeaway.com's revised offer.
Changes to stock ratings drove some moves, with blue-chip tour operator TUI dipping 3% after Berenberg cut its rating on the stock. Mid-cap outsourcing group Capita dropped 5% on a Deutsche Bank rating downgrade.
NMC Health dropped another 11%, adding to a more than 30% decline since Tuesday when Muddy Waters disclosed a short position in the healthcare company. (Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi and Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Jane Merriman)
