UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Nov 26

Nov 26 – Britain’s FTSE 100 (.FTSE) index is seen opening 7 points higher at 6,398 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.

Unilever: Consumer goods group Unilever (UNA.AS) (ULVR.L) has agreed to buy U.S.-based vitamin company SmartyPants Vitamins, moving further into the consumer health market.

UK Regulators: Britain will borrow almost 400 billion pounds ($535.44 billion) this year to pay for the massive coronavirus hit to its economy, finance minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday, as he took his first steps to offset the country’s highest budget deficit outside wartime.

Car Output: British car production slumped by an annual 18.2% in October as the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown measures continue to hit demand, said a trade industry body. COVID-19: The British government will set out which COVID-19 restrictions each local authority in England will face when a national lockdown ends next week, allowing businesses to reopen in areas where infection rates are lower.

Gold: Gold prices rose as grim U.S. jobs data and worries over surging COVID-19 cases worldwide cast doubts over a quick economic recovery and bolstered the metal’s safe-haven appeal.

Oil: Oil rose for a fifth day after a surprise fall in U.S. crude inventories gave further legs to a rally driven by optimism that vaccines will end the coronavirus pandemic and revive demand for fuels.

The UK blue-chip index (.FTSE) closed 0.6% lower after Finance Minister Rishi Sunak flagged a major hit to economic growth from the coronavirus, prompting an index of domestically-exposed stocks to mark its worst tumble in nearly a month.

UK corporate diary:

Britvic Plc (BVIC.L) FY earnings
Severn Trent Plc (SVT.L) HY earnings
PayPoint Plc (PAYP.L) HY earnings
Fuller, Smith & Turner Plc (FSTA.L) HY earnings
Aviva Plc (AV.L) Q3 trading update
Mitchells & Butlers Plc (MAB.L) FY earnings
Jlen Environmental Assets Group (JLEN.L) HY earnings