UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Dec 22

Dec 22 – Britain’s FTSE 100 futures index (FFIc1) was down 0.57% on Tuesday.

Tesco: British supermarket group Tesco (TSCO.L) warned on Monday that there may be a shortage of some fruit and vegetables later this week if transport ties are not quickly restored with mainland Europe.

Royal Mail: Royal Mail (RMG.L) has halted deliveries to several countries as a result of their port closures and travel tie cuts with Britain following a new faster spreading strain of the coronavirus, the company’s website showed on Monday.

AstraZeneca: Malaysia has signed a deal to procure 6.4 million doses of AstraZeneca’s (AZN.L) coronavirus vaccine, and is in final talks with Chinese and Russian manufacturers to secure more, said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Centrica: Members of the Britain’s GMB union will stage a total withdrawal of labor for five days in January at Centrica Plc’s (CNA.L) British Gas over the company’s refusal to remove “fire and rehire” threats, the union said on Monday.

Brexit: The European Union is considering a new proposal on fishing rights from the United Kingdom as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tries to secure an 11th-hour trade deal, Bloomberg news reported on Monday.

Gold: Gold prices gained as a U.S. coronavirus aid package set for Senate approval boosted the metal’s appeal as an inflation hedge, while a new coronavirus strain shutting down much of Britain lent further support.

Oil: Oil prices dropped further adding to steep losses from the previous session, as a new strain of the novel coronavirus in the United Kingdom triggered concerns over fuel demand recovery.

The UK blue-chip index (.FTSE) closed 1.7% lower on Monday as several nations closed their borders to Britain.

UK mid-cap stocks suffered their worst day in 3 months on Monday as stricter curbs to fight a fast-spreading new strain of the coronavirus prompted travel bans, worries about food shortages and further economic pain.