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* FTSE 100 up 0.6%, FTSE 250 adds 0.5%

March 1 (Reuters) - UK equities opened higher on Friday, mirroring gains across global markets, as investors cheered signs of slowing inflation in the United States, while shares of broadcaster ITV topped the mid-cap index on BritBox International stake sale to BBC.

The internationally focussed FTSE 100 index was up 0.6%, as of 0815 GMT.

Global markets tracked a rally on Wall Street after the U.S. PCE data showed the annual increase in inflation was the smallest in three years, raising hopes of a rate cut from the Federal Reserve in the first half of the year.

Most FTSE 350 sectoral indexes traded in the green, with rate-sensitive real estate investment trusts index climbing 1% while telecommunications led sectoral advances with a 2.1% jump.

Among stocks, Pearson advanced 3% to be among top performers in the FTSE 100 after the education company met market expectations for 2023 operating profit, which rose 31% on an underlying basis.

The more domestically oriented FTSE 250 gained 0.5%, led by a 12.7% rise in ITV after the broadcaster sold its entire 50% stake in streaming service BritBox International to its joint venture partner BBC Studios for 255 million pounds ($322.09 million).

British investors' focus will now shift to Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt's pre-election budget due next week, where he is expected to cut taxes in the face of a 2.5-trillion-pound debt.

(Reporting by Shristi Achar A in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)