UK Stocks-Factors to watch on April 25 (updated)
25/04/2025 07:44
Adds new items, updates futures April 25 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening higher on Friday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.12%. * WPP: WPP WPP.L said tariffs had not had a major impact on client spending at this point, and reiterated its annual guidance, although it noted the trade upheaval would affect a number of its clients. * MOBICO: British transport company Mobico MCG.L will sell its North America school bus unit to I Squared Capital for up to $608 million, as the business had become too costly to run due to wage inflation and potential costs from U.S. tariffs. * RETAIL: British retail sales rose unexpectedly in March, data by the Office for National Statistics showed. * SHELL: Shell SHEL.L has pulled out of three joint offshore gas projects in Colombia's Caribbean, the country's state-run oil company, Ecopetrol, said. * AUTOMOBILES: Britain made more vehicles in March as demand increased for cars overseas and commercial vehicles at home, but not enough to prevent a quarterly decline in output, industry data showed. * CONSUMER: British consumer confidence slid this month to its lowest level since November 2023, with rising bills and the U.S. trade war weighing on people's economic outlook, a GfK Consumer Confidence Index survey showed. * OIL: Oil prices rose for a second session buoyed by potential de-escalation of the U.S.-China trade war while conflicting U.S. tariff signals limit the demand outlook. * METALS: Copper prices hovered near three-week highs on signs of a potential de-escalation in U.S.-China trade tensions. * GOLD: Gold prices steadied as investors maintained a bullish outlook while closely monitoring U.S.-China trade negotiations. * 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 Simone Lobo in Bengaluru) ((Simone.Lobo@thomsonreuters.com; +919920570373;))