UK Stocks-Factors to watch on August 3 (updated)
UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on August 3 Adds news items and updates futures
Aug 3 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening higher on Monday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.25%.
* ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca AZN.L and Bristol Myers Squibb BMY.N held preliminary discussions about a possible combination that would create one of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies with a combined value of nearly $400 billion, according to a person familiar with the situation.
* EASYJET: EasyJet EZJ.L extended the deadline for suitor Castlelake to decide whether to make a firm takeover offer, bringing it into line with the deadline facing Apollo APO.N.
* BP: BP BP.L said it has completed the sale of its Gelsenkirchen refinery to investment firm Klesch Group, expecting about a $1 billion reduction in underlying operating expenditure, as the oil major simplifies its operations.
* PLUS500: Plus500 PLUSP.L said it has launched Single Stock Futures in the U.S., expanding its futures offering by giving customers access to CME Group-listed contracts tied to individual U.S. stocks.
* SENIOR: Senior SNR.L said it expects to achieve its medium-term targets ahead of schedule, citing resilient demand across its aerospace and fluid systems businesses.
* JOBS: British hiring fell in the first six months of 2026 with job postings for graduates at their lowest since 2020.
* ECONOMY: Britain's economy is likely to shrink in 2027 if the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen to shipping before the middle of next year.
* COMMODITIES: Oil prices tumbled over $4 a barrel, gold rose, and nickel tumbled.
* 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 Megha Kumari and Neeshita Beura in Bengaluru)