UK Stocks-Factors to watch on March 18 (updated)

Genel Energy

18/03/2026 07:50

Adds news items, updates futures

March 18 (Reuters) -
Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening higher on Wednesday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.02%.

* ITHACA ENERGY: North Sea oil and gas producer Ithaca Energy ITH.L
forecast
 higher 2026 production, helped by enhanced operating capacity and contribution from the Cygnus and Seagull fields.

* SOFTCAT: Softcat SCTS.L
raised
its annual profit expectations for fiscal 2026, after strong artificial intelligence infrastructure demand and early orders from customers due to memory shortages boosted interim first-half results.

* DIPLOMA: Diploma DPLM.L raised its fiscal year 2026
guidance
, supported by resilient aerospace demand and continued growth in its North American seals business.

* UNILEVER: Unilever ULVR.L is in the early stages of weighing a separation of its food assets as the consumer goods maker plans to streamline its business, according to Bloomberg News.

* RELX: An institutional seller will offload 24 million shares in British information and analytics company RELX REL.L through a public bookbuild process, the bookrunner for the offering said.

* PRUDENTIAL: Prudential PRU.L posted a 12% rise in annual new business profit.

* BP: BP BP.L will block around 800 workers from its 440,000 barrel-per-day Whiting, Indiana, refinery starting March 19, the British oil major said, as months of contract negotiations yielded little results.

* PAY SETTLEMENTS: Pay settlements in Britain remained unchanged in the three months to the end of February but employers are showing signs of increased caution about increases for staff as costs rise, data provider Brightmine said.

* COMMODITIES:
Oil
 prices fell more than $2 per barrel,
gold
prices held steady and
aluminium
 fell.

* 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))