UK Stocks-Factors to watch on February 4
04/02/2026 05:21
Feb 4 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening higher on Wednesday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.1%. * SHELL: Shell SHEL.L has agreed to sell a 20% stake in its Orca project offshore Brazil to Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC), the oil major said. * GLENCORE: Glencore said it has suspended nearly $1 billion of planned investments at Horne Smelter, Canada's largest copper metal-producing operation, after failing to secure regulatory certainty from the provincial government of Quebec. * UNEMPLOYMENT: British unemployment is likely to rise to its highest since 2015 this year, partly due to a rising minimum wage and last year's increase in a tax on employers, a leading think tank said. * NUCLEAR: Britain unveiled a framework to accelerate development of advanced nuclear reactors, aiming to become a global leader in the next-generation technology. * OIL: Oil prices extended gains after the U.S. shot down an Iranian drone and armed Iranian boats approached a U.S.-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, rekindling fears of an escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran. * METALS: Shanghai copper climbed as investors reacted to China's plan to expand its strategic reserves. * GOLD: Gold prices extended gains on safe-haven appeal on renewed geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran. * FTSE: London's FTSE 100 pulled back from a record high on Tuesday as losses in AI-exposed stocks outweighed gains in miners, with investors cautious ahead of the Bank of England's policy meeting later this week. * UK CORPORATE DIARY:
| GSK | GSK.L | Q4 and FY results |
| DCC | DCC.L | Q3 trading statement |
| Watches of Switzerland | WOSG.L | Q3 trading update |
| SSE | SSE.L | Q3 trading statement |
| BetMGM | ENT.L | FY update |