FTSE 100 Set to Drop Ahead of Interest-Rate Decisions
0735 GMT - The FTSE 100 Index looks set to open 31 points lower at 7464, according to IG futures data, after mostly downbeat trading in Asia and a lower close on Wall Street. Australian, Hong Kong and Japanese markets are in the red, though mainland Chinese stocks gain 0.3%. The Dow closed 0.4% lower. Brent crude drops 0.9% to $81.97 a barrel. "The focus for European markets Thursday is on the Swiss National Bank, Bank of England and European Central Bank, where we can expect 50 basis-point rate hikes across the board," CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson says in a note. (philip.waller@wsj.com)
Companies News:
Serco Sees 2022 Revenue Slightly Above Views; 2023 Revenue Rising
Serco Group PLC said Thursday that it expects 2022 revenue to rise on year slightly ahead of guidance, and 2023 revenue to marginally increase.
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Sika-MBCC Proposal to Divest Some Assets After Merger Accepted by UK Antitrust Body
The U.K.'s competition watchdog accepted a proposal from Sika AG and MBCC Group to sell some of MBCC's assets, a move that the regulator says would prevent their merger from harming the British construction industry.
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Currys Cuts FY 2023 Guidance on Profit Dip After International Market Disruption
Currys PLC said on Thursday that guidance for fiscal 2023 has been downgraded after swinging to a pretax loss in the first half due to the disruption of its international markets and actions taken in face of competitors' heavy discounting.
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Drax Sees 2022 Ebitda Slightly Above Market Views
Drax Group PLC on Thursday said it expects 2022 earnings to be slightly above the top range of analyst expectations, reflecting strong pumped storage and hydro performance in its second half.
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STV Group Sees 2022 Advertising Revenue Slipping Slightly; Beating Prepandemic Levels
STV Group PLC said Thursday that it expects total advertising revenue for 2022 to slip 2% when compared with its record prior year, though remaining up 8% on 2019's prepandemic levels.
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DX (Group) Performance Continues to Meet Management Expectations
DX (Group) PLC said Thursday that performance since its business update in mid-November has continued to be in line with management expectations, and the pipeline of new business opportunities continues to be healthy.
Contact: London NewsPlus, Dow Jones Newswires;
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
12-15-22 0252ET
