UK Stocks-Factors to watch on February 2 (updated)
02/02/2026 07:47
Adds new items, updates futures Feb 2 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index seen opening lower on Monday, with futures FFIc1 down 0.64%. * CAB PAYMENTS: Investment firm Helios Consortium said it has raised its possible offer for CAB Payments CABP.L to $1.15 per share from $1.05. * AUCTION TECHNOLOGY: FitzWalter Capital said it would not make a new takeover bid for British online auction operator Auction Technology Group ATG.L. * SHELL: Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company SHEL.L has begun planned maintenance on its Bonga deepwater oil vessel, the company said. * RIO TINTO: Australia's Rio Tinto RIO.L, RIO.AX and Britain's Glencore GLEN.L will seek more time to work on a deal to create the world's biggest miner, Bloomberg News reported. * BP: United Steelworkers members at BP's BP.L refinery in Whiting, Indiana, agreed to a rolling 24-hour contract extension, the company said. * THAMES WATER: Britain's Thames Water is edging closer to a 16 billion-pound rescue deal with its lenders, Sky News reported. * BEN & JERRY'S: Directors removed from Ben & Jerry's independent board have challenged The Magnum Ice Cream Company's MICCT.AS plans to appoint new directors, accusing it of corporate overreach, a U.S. court filing showed. * BUSINESS SENTIMENT: British entrepreneurs' negativity about the economic outlook reduced at the start of 2026, after finance minister Rachel Reeves' November budget. * PAY: British businesses are most likely planning to raise pay this year by between 3% and 3.49%, according to a survey. * COMMODITIES: Oil prices fell nearly 5%, copper plunged, and gold extended fall. * 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 Neeshita Beura in Bengaluru) ((Neeshita.Beura@thomsonreuters.com))