(Adds futures, news items)
March 25 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 17
points lower at 6,695 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with
futures .FFIc1 down 0.20% ahead of the cash market open.
* CINEWORLD: Cineworld CINE.L said it will ask shareholders to approve a
raise in its debt ceiling next month to allow it to borrow more money to shore
up its shattered finances after reporting a $3 billion loss for
2020. * ENQUEST: EnQuest ENQ.L reported 2020 free cashflow of $211 million, down
around 43%. * COMPASS GROUP: Compass Group CPG.L forecast better margins in the second
quarter than in the first. * IQE: IQE Plc IQE.L posted a smaller annual loss, partly helped by strong
performance in its wireless equipment and photonics businesses. * S4 CAPITAL: S4 Capital SFOR.L reported a 19.4% rise in like-for-like
gross profit in 2020, and said the strong growth had continued into
2021. * BOOHOO: Boohoo BOOH.L published a list of 78 approved manufacturers
operating across 100 sites in the UK, meeting a commitment for increased
transparency. * ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) AZN.L said its COVID-19 vaccine was 76%
effective at preventing symptomatic illness in a new analysis of its major U.S.
trial - a tad lower than the level announced earlier this week in a report that
was criticised for using outdated information. * BT: BT BT.L said it had met its target of extending full-fibre broadband
to 4.5 mln premises by the end of March. * PUBS: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested on Wednesday that
some pubs might require customers to produce vaccine certificates, an idea that
he had previously deemed unlikely. * GOLD: Gold prices rose as surging COVID-19 cases across Europe fuelled
economic growth concerns. * OIL: Oil prices fell more than 2% as fresh coronavirus lockdowns revived
worries about demand for oil products. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.2% higher on Wednesday as data
showed a better-than-expected rebound in British business activity in
March. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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