(Adds news items and futures)
Jan 30 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen
opening down 41 points on Thursday, with futures .FFIc1 down
1% ahead of cash market open.
* FOXTONS: Real estate agent Foxtons Group Plc FOXT.L
posted lower annual revenue on Thursday, but said Prime Minister
Boris Johnson's election win could improve sales in the sector
for 2020. * MITIE: British outsourcing firm Mitie Group Plc MTO.L
said on Thursday it expects annual organic revenue growth to be
flat, as public sector activity slowed and it reduced spending
on its largest division. * AVAST: Avast Plc AVST.L said on Thursday that will it
not be providing data to its Jumpshot data analytics business
anymore, a day after the cybersecurity company said it was
reviewing options for the division following reports of data
privacy concerns. * ST. JAMES'S PLACE: British wealth manager St. James's
Place SJP.L on Thursday posted a 3.7% increase in
fourth-quarter assets under management on the back of net
inflows of client cash and market gains.
* UNILEVER: Consumer goods giant Unilever ULVR.L UNc.AS
posted a slightly better than expected rise in quarterly sales
on Thursday, helped by higher prices in Brazil and strong
performance in its home care business. * DIAGEO: Diageo Plc DGE.L , the world's largest spirits
company, reported a marginal rise in first-half operating profit
on Thursday and expects annual organic net sales growth to be at
the lower end of its previous outlook. * BT: BT BT.L said Britain's decision to limit Huawei's
HWT.UL role in building 5G and fibre networks would increase
the cost of its gigabit-communications plan by about 500 million
pounds ($657 million) over five years. * ROYAL DUTCH SHELL: Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L said on
Wednesday director Euleen Goh would take over as its deputy
chair from May 20. * FERROVIAL: Spanish engineering and construction firm
Ferrovial FER.MC , owner of London's Heathrow Airport, plans to
sell mature assets and buy into water infrastructures and Latin
America's electricity grids, company executives said on
Wednesday. * WOODFORD: Investors in the collapsed equity income
formerly run by British money manager Neil Woodford will get 75%
of the value of the fund in their first pay-out, its
administrator said on Wednesday. * OIL: Oil prices fell as the death toll from the new virus
in China climbed to 170 and more airlines cancelled flights to
the country's major cities, while rising U.S. crude inventories
added to the negative tone. * GOLD: Gold prices edged higher after the U.S. Federal
Reserve Chair's remarks that the new coronavirus outbreak could
impact China's economy in the short term boosted the safe-haven
metal's appeal. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed up 0.04% on
Wednesday after a steep sell-off earlier this week on rising
fears over the impact from the coronavirus, though the bounce
lost some punch as oil majors dipped alongside crude prices on
U.S. stockpile data. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please
click on: LIVE/
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