(Adds company news items, futures)
April 29 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 36
points higher at 5,994 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with
futures up 0.28% ahead of cash market open.
* BARCLAYS: Barclays BARC.L set aside 2.1 billion pounds ($2.62 billion)
to cover a likely spike in loan losses as thousands of its corporate and
consumer borrowers battle to cope with the financial fallout from the COVID-19
pandemic. * NEXT: British clothing retailer Next NXT.L said total product sales in
its latest quarter crashed 41%, reflecting the closure of all its stores in the
coronavirus lockdown and the temporary shutdown of its online operations.
* DIXONS CARPHONE: Electricals retailer Dixons Carphone DC.L said strong
online demand was partially offsetting declines from stores being shut in the
coronavirus lockdown, but it scrapped its dividend due to the uncertainty ahead.
* PERSIMMON: British housebuilder Persimmon PSN.L said a phased restart of
operations at its construction sites was underway and it does not plan to access
the government's COVID-19 funding schemes. * HISCOX: Insurer Hiscox HSX.L said it was assessing possible sources of
funding, including an equity raise, due to an expected fall in capital because
of a pandemic-induced rise in rates across the U.S. wholesale and reinsurance
markets. * ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca AZN.L beat analysts' estimates for
first-quarter profit and reiterated its outlook for 2020, as demand for the
company's newer medicines remained steady. * FEVERTREE: Britain's Fevertree Drinks FEVR.L said co-founder Charles
Rolls plans to step down from his role as non-executive deputy chairman at the
company's annual general meeting in June. * IAG: British Airways plans to cut more than a quarter of its jobs due to
the coronavirus crisis, parent company IAG ICAG.L said on Tuesday, forecasting
that passenger numbers will take years to recover. * UNILEVER: Unilever ULVR.L , L'Oreal OREP.PA and Estee Lauder EL.N
are among firms vying to buy British makeup brand Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Ltd,
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. * OIL: U.S. oil prices jumped, trimming some of this week's losses, after
U.S. stockpiles rose less than expected and on expectations demand will increase
as some European countries and U.S. cities moved to ease coronavirus lockdowns.
* GOLD: Gold prices inched higher as the dollar weakened amid plans to ease
major economies out of coronavirus lockdowns, while investors awaited any
forward guidance from the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy statement due later in
the day. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed up 1.9% at a near seven-week high on
Tuesday, as hopes that major economies will ease lockdown measures helped
investors look past dire quarterly earnings reports from oil major BP and lender
HSBC. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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