REFILE-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Dec. 21

(Corrects company name to 'Shell' from 'Shel' in second bullet)
Dec 21 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 futures index FFIc1 was down 0.86%
on Monday.

* ASTRAZENECA: Malaysia said on Saturday it has secured coronavirus vaccine
from AstraZeneca Plc AZN.L , on the heels of news it will receive the
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in February as it grapples with a surge in
infections. * ROYAL DUTCH SHELL: Shell RDSa.L said it has agreed to sell a 26.25%
stake in its Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG) facilities to Global Infrastructure
Partners Australia for $2.5 billion, helping the oil major meet its annual
target for divestments. * ROYAL MAIL: Royal Mail Plc RMG.L said on Friday it has reached an
in-principle agreement with its largest labour union, the Communication Workers
Union (CWU), over company strategy, operational change and pay. * METRO BANK: Britain's Metro Bank Plc MTRO.L said on Friday it will sell
a portfolio of owner-occupied residential mortgages to NatWest Group Plc NWG.L
for up to 3.13 billion pounds ($4.23 billion), as it looks to boost its capital
levels hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. * GOLD: Gold climbed to a six-week high, driven by news that U.S.
congressional leaders reached agreement on a COVID-19 aid package, while
lockdowns in the United Kingdom soured appetite for riskier assets and added to
the metal's support. * OIL: Oil prices dropped about 3% as a fast-spreading new coronavirus
strain that has shut down much of the United Kingdom fuelled worries over a
slower recovery in fuel demand amid tighter restrictions in Europe. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.3% lower on Friday as U.S. stocks
dipped on a cooling fiscal stimulus-led rally GBP/ . The domestically focused
FTSE 250 .FTMC , considered a barometer for Brexit sentiment, dropped about
0.9%, but finished the last full week of the year up 2.5%. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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