UK Stocks-Factors to watch on March 5 (updated)

Viavi Solutions

05/03/2024 07:57

(Adds new items, updates futures)
       March 5 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100  .FTSE  index is
seen opening lower on Tuesday, with futures down 0.41%
    
    * SPIRENT: Communications equipment firm Viavi Solutions
 VIAV.O  agreed to buy telecommunications testing firm Spirent
Communications  SPT.L  in a deal valued at about 1.01 billion
pounds ($1.28 billion).
        * TRAVIS PERKINS: Britain's biggest supplier of building
materials Travis Perkins  TPK.L  reported a 
    39% drop
     in annual profit due to weakness in the housing market.
  
        * IWG: Global office rental firm IWG  IWG.L  reported a 
    34% jump
     in annual core profit and forecast 2024 earnings in line
with its expectations.
  
        * FOXTONS GROUP: Estate agent Foxtons Group  FOXT.L 
posted a 
    marginal rise
     in its annual profit.
  
        * HISCOX: Lloyd's of London insurer Hiscox  HSX.L 
posted a 
    record annual profit
     and said retail outlook for 2024 was positive.
  
    * GREGGS: British food-to-go retailer Greggs  GRG.L  said it
expected another year of growth in 2024 after it posted a 13%
rise in profit last year.
        * REACH: Reach, the publisher of Britain's Daily Mirror
and Daily Express, reported a 9% drop in 
    annual adjusted operating profit
    .
  
        * CAR REGISTRATIONS: New car registrations in Britain 
    rose
     more than 10%, a preliminary industry data showed.
  
    * CONSUMER SPENDING: British consumer spending slid in
February as bad weather kept shoppers at home, according to a
survey by British Retail Consortium that showed households
remained cautious to spend in the face of high borrowing costs
and inflation.
    * WINDFALL TAX: British finance minister Jeremy Hunt is set
to announce a one-year extension of a windfall levy on energy
firms' profits in this week's budget, industry sources briefed
on the move said.
    * OIL: Oil prices fell for a second day on Tuesday. 
    
    
        
  
    * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please
click on:  LIVE/     
    TODAY'S UK PAPERS
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($1 = 0.7890 pounds)

 (Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar and Zainab Saifuddin Saifee in
Bengaluru)
 ((Radhika.Anilkumar@thomsonreuters.com;))