UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Feb 16 (updated)

Petrofac

16/02/2024 07:46

(Adds news items, Updates futures)
       Feb 16 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100  .FTSE  index is
seen opening higher on Friday, with futures  FFIc1  up 0.55%. 
    * NATWEST: British bank NatWest  NWG.L  confirmed Paul
Thwaite as its permanent chief executive and reported
forecast-beating profit for 2023, as it gears up for a crunch
sale of state-owned stock in the company after a scandal-hit
year.
        * HSBC:  HSBA.L  
    plans
     to tighten risk management at Hong Kong unit Hang Seng Bank
 0011.HK  due to worries about a potential rise in bad loans
amid growing economic headwind and property sector crisis in
China, said two people with knowledge of the matter.
  
        * SEGRO: Segro  SGRO.L  
    forecast
     optimistic prospects for its investment market business in
2024 after it posted a better-than-expected annual profit,
supported by robust rental growth.
  
        * RETAIL SALES: British retail sales 
    rose
     by a stronger-than-expected 3.4% in January, according to
official figures that showed signs of strength among consumers a
day after data confirmed the country's economy entered a
recession last year.
  
    * BP: Biden administration awarded Strategic Petroleum
Reserve (SPR) contracts for 2.95 million barrels of oil worth
about $229.5 million to four companies including BP Products
North America  BP.L .
    * THE INDEPENDENT: The Independent is in talks to take
control of BuzzFeed  BZFD.O  and Huffington Post's operations in
the UK and Ireland in a multi-year deal, according to a person
familiar with the matter.
    * OIL: Oil prices stalled over a forecast of slowing demand
by the International Energy Agency after gaining in the previous
session on weak U.S. retail sales data.
    * GOLD: Gold was headed for a second straight weekly fall
after an unexpected spike in U.S. consumer prices made traders
rethink their rate-cut expectations.

 

        
  
    * 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 

 (Reporting by Prerna Bedi in Bengaluru)
 ((Prerna.Bedi@thomsonreuters.com; +91 98052 24616;))