UK Stocks-Factors to watch on March 15 (updated)

Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust

15/03/2024 07:57

(Adds new items, Updates futures)
       March 15 - Britain's FTSE 100  .FTSE  index is seen
opening flat on Friday, with futures  FFIc1  down 0.04%.

        * VODAFONE: Vodafone  VOD.L  said it would return 4
billion euros of capital to shareholders following the sale of
its Italian operation to Swisscom that was agreed and the sale
of its Spanish unit agreed last year.
    * CMA: British competition regulator said it is looking into
homebuilder Barratt's  BDEV.L  2.52-billion-pound ($3.21
billion) all-stock deal to buy smaller rival Redrow  RDW.L .
        * BERKELEY: British high-end homebuilder Berkeley
 BKGH.L  said sales rates during a four-month period ended Feb.
29 remained around a third lower than the comparative period.
    * SCOTTISH MORTGAGE: Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust
 SMT.L , Britain's largest investment trust, will buy back
shares worth 1 billion pounds over the next two years, it said.
    * WH SMITH: British travel retailer WH Smith  SMWH.L  said
its finance chief Robert Moorhead plans to retire after more
than two decades with the company, and will be succeeded by
Burberry  BRBY.L  executive Max Izzard.
    * BP: BP PLC  BP.L  and Venezuela confirmed they are in
talks with Trinidad and Tobago government to develop a shared
offshore gas field in the Caribbean.
    * RECKITT: An Illinois jury has ordered Reckitt Benckiser
 RKT.L  unit Mead Johnson to pay $60 million to the mother of a
premature baby who died of an intestinal disease after being fed
the company's Enfamil baby formula.  
    * OIL: Oil prices edged lower but were on track to gain
nearly 4% for the week.
    
        ($1 = 0.9191 euros)
  
        ($1 = 0.7852 pounds)
  

    * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please
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 (Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru)
 ((Radhika.Anilkumar@thomsonreuters.com;))