LONDON: Britain’s FTSE 100 index is seen starting 1 to 4 points stronger, or as much as 0.1 percent on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
The UK blue chip index ended 1.6 percent firmer on Wednesday at 6,728.04 points, the highest since early December.
The European Central Bank is poised to announce a plan later in the day to buy government bonds, resorting to its last big policy tool for breathing life into the flagging euro zone economy and fending off deflation.
A euro zone source said on Wednesday the ECB’s Executive Board has proposed that the bank should buy 50 billion euros ($58 billion) in bonds per month from March.
The Company extended its relationship with AT&T to transform its global communication services and said the long-term agreement will support Smiths group’s expanding global operations.
New York’s top law enforcer on Wednesday accused Barclays of defying his subpoenas in a probe of high-speed trading in its private “dark pool,” and moved to expand his lawsuit accusing the British bank of fraud.
The Company reported a 17 percent jump in its funds under management to a record 52 billion pounds ($78.7 billion) in 2014, lifted by higher net inflows.
The Company said it expected 2014 profit in its troubled construction unit would be reduced by 70 million pounds ($106 million) after a review assessed its contracts and found deterioration in project performance.
Royal Mail said group revenue for the nine months to Dec. 28 rose 1 percent, marking a slowdown from the half year as competition within the parcel market crimped sales.
BG shares rose more than 4 percent on Wednesday. The Independent newspaper’s market report said some punters were pushing rumours that the oil explorer could be subject to a £12-a-share break-up bid from Exxon Mobil or Brazil’s Petrobas.
Ben Harrington’s Betaville blog reports that law firm Slater & Gordon is in exclusive talks to buy Quindell’s legal services division. Quindell and Slater & Gordon declined to comment, the blog said.
The British government said on Wednesday it would try to pass a law to force tobacco firms to sell cigarettes in plain packets without branding in England before May, ending years of debate and lobbying over the issue.
