UK Stocks-Factors to watch on July 20
EWU•FTSE 100 seen opening lower
Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening lower on Monday, with futures FFIc1 down 0.1%.
Companies and market drivers
- YouGov: YouGov YOU.L is considering Wayne Levings, the former head of market research firm Kantar's operations, as one of the candidates to succeed co-founder and interim CEO Stephan Shakespeare, Sky News reported.
- IP Group: Railpen, the largest shareholder in Britain's IP Group IPO.L, said it has made a sweetened takeover offer for the early-stage science investor, nearly a month after IP Group rejected an earlier approach.
- Housing: Asking prices for newly advertised British houses and apartments recorded an unusually large fall in the four weeks to July 11, as the men's soccer World Cup and record temperatures distracted buyers who also face high borrowing costs, property website Rightmove said.
- Oil: Brent oil prices rose 2% to more than $90 per barrel, as escalating U.S.-Iran hostilities in the Middle East restricted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Gold: Gold prices dipped as an escalation in the Middle East war pushed Brent crude above $90 a barrel, heightening inflation concerns after many U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers signalled that interest rate hikes may be needed to curb price pressures.
- Metals: Copper prices edged higher, supported by shrinking inventories and supply risks, although uncertainty over demand outlook capped gains.
