news/AZN/2023.02.23/FTSE 100 falls as ex-dividend trades weigh; Rolls-Royce soars.txt

Some banks, including Barclays and Standard Chartered, and healthcare majors AstraZeneca and GSK traded without an entitlement for dividend payout.The blue-chip FTSE 100 was down 0.2% at 0823 GMT, and was set for its third straight day of declines.    Engineering firm Rolls-Royce surged 15.1% after the company's CEO forecast more profit growth in 2023 after last year's profit beat expectations. The domestically-inclined FTSE 250 midcap index rose 0.5%, with John Wood Group Plc jumping 32.3% to the top of the index. The oilfield services and engineering firm said it received and rejected takeover proposals from Apollo Global Management. (Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V)