UK : Factors to watch on 01 Dec 2016
Britain’s FTSE 100 index is seen opening 1 point higher on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures down 0.2 percent ahead of the cash market open.* The UK blue chip index closed up 0.2 percent on Wednesday at 6,783.79, led by rebounding energy stocks after oil prices surged to their biggest one-day gain in nine months when major producers agreed to output cuts to curb oversupply.
* FTSE RESHUFFLE: Precious metals mining company Polymetal International Plc and Travis Perkins Plc, Britain’s biggest supplier of building materials, will drop out of the benchmark FTSE 100 index and become a part of the FTSE 250.
* DAILY MAIL AND GENERAL TRUST: The publisher of the Daily Mail, Daily Mail and General Trust, reported an 11 percent drop in adjusted operating profit after its media business suffered from a fall in print advertising revenues and challenging conditions in the property information, energy and financial sectors.
* SERCO: British outsourcing firm Serco Group stuck to its underlying outlook for next year and said a long-term turnaround programme should see the company move into a growth phase from 2018.
* RIO TINTO: Global miner Rio Tinto said on Thursday it was cooperating with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission over financial impairments in 2012 related to its coal operations in Mozambique.
* BHP BILLITON: BHP Billiton said on Thursday its Olympic Dam copper mine was without power for four hours due to a blackout in the state of South Australia.
* GLENCORE: Glencore said on Thursday it had sold assets worth $ 6.3 billion this year, compared with previous guidance of $ 1-2 billion, and its debt reduction plan was nearly completed.
* ANGLO AMERICAN: Anglo American Plc is in talks to sell the London headquarters of its De Beers diamond business to Oaktree Capital Group LLC and Quadrant Estates, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday citing two people with knowledge of the plan. bloom.bg/2gxRTrT
Anglo American said separately on Wednesday it would sell its stake in South African diversified miner Exxaro Resources Ltd and use the proceeds to reduce debt.
* CENTRICA: Centrica owned British Gas, Britain’s biggest energy supplier, has frozen its standard energy prices this winter, it said on Wednesday, putting more pressure on rival companies to do the same.
* GEMFIELDS: British precious stones miner Gemfields Plc said the auction of emeralds from its Kagem mine in Zambia would be pushed to February as the bulk of its customers for the gem are from India, which is in the throes of a so-called “demonetisation” drive.
* BAE SYSTEMS: BAE Systems said on Wednesday it expected to sign a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to supply M777 Howitzers to the Indian Army after both governments cleared the deal.
* GSK: GlaxoSmithKline’s new injectable asthma drug Nucala has been recommended for use in Britain’s state-run health service in the most severe patients, after the drugmaker provided further analyses on its use and made an additional price cut.
* EX-DIVS: International Consolidated Airlines Group, Land Securities Group Plc, Severn Trent Plc will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 1.1 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations
* UK HOUSE PRICES: British house prices increased last month at the weakest annual rate since January, although there are signs that demand in the market is beginning to strengthen, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Thursday.
* COPPER: Shanghai copper futures climbed nearly 2 percent on Thursday, recovering some of the previous session’s steep losses, as a rally in oil prices filtered through to other commodities.
* OIL: Oil shot up over 10 percent after producer club OPEC and Russia cut a deal to reduce output to drain a global supply glut, but analysts warned prices could recede as other producers stand ready to fill the gap.
* STERLING: Sterling surged back to an 11-week high against the euro in late trade in London on Wednesday, racking up its best month since January 2009 as a deal to cut OPEC oil output weakened the single currency against the dollar.
