UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Dec 22

Dec 22 (Reuters) – Britain’s FTSE 100 futures index (FFIc1) was down 0.49% ahead of the cash market open on Tuesday.

Vodafone: Vodafone Group (VOD.L) offered to buy the remaining shares in Kabel Deutschland Holding (KD8Gn.H), which it does not already own, in a deal aimed at capping remaining risks from a long-running legal battle over its 2013 takeover of the company.

Applegreen: Applegreen (APGNA.L) said it had agreed to be bought out by a consortium led by B&J Holdings and Blackstone (NYSE:BX) Infrastructure Partners in a deal that values the Irish gas station operator at around 718.1 million euros.

AstraZeneca: Drugmakers AstraZeneca (AZN.L) and Amgen (AMGN.O) said their experimental asthma drug tezepelumab failed to meet the main goal of reducing patients’ dependence on steroids while keeping the condition in check in a late-stage trial.

EasyJet: British airline easyJet (EZJ.L), whose finances have come under severe pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic, has agreed with Airbus (AIR.PA) to defer the delivery of aircraft, the company said.

Economy: Britain’s economic recovery from its coronavirus crash was a bit quicker than previously thought in the July-September period, according to official data which also showed government borrowing soaring to pay for the coronavirus crisis.

Gold: Gold prices fell as support from the U.S. Congress passing a long-awaited near $900 billion coronavirus aid was countered by a stronger dollar, while some profit-taking also weighed on sentiment.

Oil: Oil prices dropped nearly 2%, 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.