UK Stocks-Factors to watch on February 6

Victrex

06/02/2026 05:03

Feb 6 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening lower on Friday, with futures FFIc1 down 0.5%.

* RIO TINTO: Australian shareholders in Rio Tinto RIO.AX have welcomed the mining giant's decision to end merger talks with Glencore GLEN.L, and said it is now up to the company to deliver on a new strategy that it has put so much weight on.

* BP: United Steelworkers is asking workers at BP's BP.L refinery in Whiting, Indiana, to prepare for a strike or lockout, the union said.

* BP: BP is looking for a partner to help boost output and share costs at Iraq's Kirkuk oil field, one of the Middle East's oldest, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

* SHELL: Shell SHEL.L hopes to produce gas from Venezuela's Dragon field in three years and have it processed in Trinidad and Tobago for export, CEO Wael Sawan told Bloomberg TV in an interview.

* COMMODITIES: U.S. crude futures rose slightly, copper is set to end a volatile week lower, and gold rose even as it headed for a second week of declines.

* FTSE: Britain's FTSE 100 closed lower on Thursday as investors priced in further interest rate cuts following dovish comments from the Bank of England.

* UK CORPORATE DIARY:

Victrex
VCTX.L
Q1 trading update + AGM

* 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 Neeshita Beura in Bengaluru)

 ((Neeshita.Beura@thomsonreuters.com))