UK Stocks-Factors to watch on April 22

Fresnillo

22/04/2026 06:32

April 22 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening lower on Wednesday, with futures FFIc1 down 0.36%.

* JD SPORTS: Retail veteran Andy Higginson will step down as the chairman of British sportswear retailer JD Sports Fashion JD.L, Sky News reported on Tuesday.

* VODAFONE: Vodafone VOD.L said it would offer its small business customers advanced cybersecurity and agentic AI through its $1 billion strategic tie-up with Google Cloud agreed in October 2024.

* HSBC: HSBC HSBA.L is hiring JPMorgan executive director James Willis to lead its global precious metals sales, four sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

* CLOUD: Microsoft MSFT.O must face a mass lawsuit alleging it overcharged thousands of British businesses to use Windows Server software on cloud computing services provided by Amazon, Google and Alibaba, a London tribunal ruled on Tuesday.

* ENERGY: Britain will overhaul energy regulator Ofgem, the government said on Wednesday, granting it new powers to enforce consumer law and ban executive bonuses.

* PAY: British employers offered slightly higher pay deals in the first quarter of 2026 but early signs of softness emerged in April, a survey from human resources data publisher Brightmine showed.

* BOOTS: The owners of British pharmacy chain Boots are working with consultants on a possible strategy overhaul in preparation for a potential London stock market listing as soon as 2027, people familiar with the plans said.

* COMMODITIES: Oil prices were largely flat on Wednesday, while gold prices firmed, and copper was little changed.

* FTSE: UK's main stock indexes posted modest gains on Tuesday, led by advances in financials, as hopes of possible ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran bolstered investor confidence.

* UK CORPORATE DIARY:

Reckitt Benckiser
RKT.L
Q1 trading update
Aberdeen
ABDN.L
Q1 AuM update
Bunzl
BNZL.L
Q1 trading update
Croda
CRDA.L
Q1 trading update
Quilter
QLT.L
Q1 trading update
Hochschild
HOCM.L
Q1 production update
Fresnillo
FRES.L
Q1 production

* 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))