UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on March 17

Reuters · 03/17/2021 07:41
UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on March 17

Adds futures, news items

- Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 1 point lower at 6,793 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures .FFIc1 down 0.15% ahead of the cash market open.


* HARGREAVES LANSDOWN: Hargreaves Lansdown HRGV.L said its profit for the year ending June 30 should be "modestly" above analyst expectations due to high volumes of stock trading.nASN000YN3

* CAPITA: Capita CPI.L unveiled a plan to reorganise its business into three divisions and raise 700 million pounds from selling non-core assets.nL4N2LF1Q1

* SSP: SSP SSPG.L said it expects to raise 475 million pounds through a rights issue as the Upper Crust owner braces for a prolonged downturn in the travel industry.nL4N2LF1TZ

* G4S: The G4S GFS.L takeover saga finally came to an end on Tuesday after a majority of the security company's shareholders accepted a 3.8 billion pound offer from U.S. rival Allied Universal, snubbing hostile Canadian bidder GardaWorld.nL4N2LE42G

* AIRLINES: A recovery in UK travel bookings appears undimmed by the suspension of AstraZeneca's AZN.L COVID-19 vaccine elsewhere in Europe, airlines said on Tuesday.nL1N2LE1SX

* SPECTRUM: Britain said it had auctioned a new tranche of airwaves to support 5G mobile for a total 1.36 billion pounds.nASN000YN5

* GOLD: Gold prices edged up to hover near their highest in more than two weeks on prospects of higher inflation.nL4N2LF0S4

* OIL: Oil prices climbed as investors weighed a recovery in U.S. refinery activity.nL1N2LF08O

* The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.8% higher on Tuesday following a clutch of upbeat company earnings, while AstraZeneca rose after the European medicine watchdog said it saw little reason to change its stance on the drugmaker's COVID-19 vaccine.nL4N2LE2C7



* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/

TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines PRESS/GB


(Reporting by Priyanshi Mandhan in Bengaluru)

((Priyanshi.Mandhan@thomsonreuters.com; +91 9650985606;))