UK Stocks-Factors to watch on March 27 (updated)
27/03/2026 07:38
Adds news items March 27 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening higher on Friday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.34%. * ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca AZN.L said its experimental treatment tozorakimab met the main goal in two late-stage trials and showed a meaningful reduction in flare ups of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as "smoker's lung". * UNILEVER: Unilever ULVR.L and its recently spun-off Magnum ice cream unit were sued for defamation by Anuradha Mittal, who was ousted in December as chair of Ben & Jerry's independent board. * LSEG: Index provider FTSE Russell said it will align the minimum free-float requirement for UK and non-UK companies in the FTSE UK Index Series from the June 2026 review. * JAGUAR LAND ROVER: Jaguar Land Rover has temporarily halted production on some of its car lines at its Solihull plant in Britain, citing a parts issue involving a supplier, the Tata Motors-owned automaker said. * AUTOTRADER: The British competition regulator said it is investigating five companies, including Autotrader AUTOA.L, as part of its crackdown on "fake reviews and misleading star ratings". * RETAIL SALES: British retail sales fell in February after the strongest growth in a year and a half in January, official figures showed on Friday. * SMMT: UK vehicle production fell 17.2% year-on-year in February in what the industry called an "extremely worrying" decline, according to data published on Friday. * CONSUMER SENTIMENT: British consumer sentiment weakened to its lowest in nearly a year in March, as per a survey. * ECONOMY: Britain's finance minister Rachel Reeves convened the country's six largest banks and building societies to assess the impact of the Middle East conflict on households and small businesses. * COMMODITIES: Oil prices were on track for a weekly decline, while gold and copper rose. * 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 (Compiled by Roshni Srivastava in Bengaluru) ((roshni.srivastava@thomsonreuters.com))