UK Stocks-Factors to watch on December 17

Airtel Africa

17/12/2025 04:42

Dec 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening flat on Wednesday, with futures FFIc1 largely unchanged.

* BAE SYSTEMS: Britain's BAE Systems  said it will cut its stake in Kazakh carrier Air Astana  by nearly half.

* GSK: The U.S. FDA has approved GSK's GSK.L add-on treatment for severe asthma, offering a less frequently dosed option, but rejected its use for another condition, the drugmaker said.

* AIRTEL AFRICA: Airtel Africa  said it has partnered with SpaceX to introduce Starlink's direct-to-cell satellite technology to all its 14 markets.

* PAY: British employers plan to offer staff pay settlements averaging 3% next year, in line with the most recent agreements, after a temporary increase in the three months to October due to higher public sector pay deals, an industry survey showed.

* OIL: Oil prices rose over 1% on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered "a total and complete" blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, raising tensions at a time of concerns over demand.

* METALS: Copper rose while labour market data from the United States data showed a rebound in job growth but elevated unemployment in November.

* GOLD: Gold climbed after a U.S. jobs report showed the unemployment rate rose in November, buoying bets of further U.S. interest rate cuts next year while pressuring the dollar and yields.

* FTSE: London's FTSE 100 closed lower on Tuesday, hurt by losses in energy and defence stocks, while investors assessed fresh jobs data that reinforced expectations for an interest rate cut by the Bank of England later in the week.

* UK CORPORATE DIARY:

Bunzl
BNZL.L
FY Preclose trading statement
IntegraFin Holdings
IHPI.L
FY results
Serco Group
SRP.L
Preclose trading statement

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

TODAY'S UK PAPERS
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 (Compiled by Neeshita Beura in Bengaluru)

 ((Neeshita.Beura@thomsonreuters.com))