(Adds company news items, futures)
March 4 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 14
points lower at 6,704 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with
futures .FFIc1 up 0.6% ahead of cash market open.
* DEVRO: Sausage-skin maker Devro DVO.L said on Wednesday its
manufacturing plant in Nantong, China, was operating at normal capacity and had
not faced labour or supply shortages, as it posted a marginally higher annual
underlying pretax profit. * INTU: Britain's Intu INTUP.L said on Wednesday it was scrapping its
planned equity raise of between 1 billion pounds and 1.5 billion pounds ($1.92
billion), as uncertainties in equity and retail property markets prevented some
investors from committing money into the debt-laden mall operator. * WIZZ AIR: Wizz Air WIZZ.L has cut some flights, mainly to Italy, from
March 11 and could further reduce capacity by about 10% in its next quarter
after demand was affected by the coronavirus outbreak, it said on Wednesday.
* VIVO ENERGY: African fuel retailer Vivo Energy VVO.L said on Wednesday
its annual adjusted core earnings rose 8%, as sales increased at its Engen and
Shell-branded filling stations and the company continued to expand its network
rapidly. * LEGAL & GENERAL: British life insurer Legal & General LGEN.L posted a
12% rise in 2019 operating profit to 2.1 billion pounds ($2.69 billion) on
Wednesday, boosted by record company pension deals. * POLYMETAL: Polymetal POLYP.L , one of Russia's largest gold and silver
producers, said on Wednesday its 2019 net earnings rose by 36% to a record high
of $483 million due to stronger global gold prices and higher output.
* NMC HEALTH: NMC Health NMC.L founder BR Shetty is considering selling
all or some of his Abu Dhabi-based pharmaceutical business Neopharma, which is
valued at about $1 billion, two sources told Reuters on Tuesday. * RYANAIR: Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said on Tuesday he would
welcome the "lunatics" of the Green Party entering government in Ireland as part
of ongoing coalition talks as this would mean they would be forced to "confront
reality". * OIL: Oil prices rose more than 1% on expectations that major producers
have moved closer to an agreement to enact deeper output cuts aimed at
offsetting the slump in demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak. O/R
* GOLD: Gold prices rose, extending gains from a 3% rise in the previous
session as the U.S. Federal Reserve slashed its benchmark interest rate to
cushion the economic impact from the fast-spreading coronavirus. * London's bluechip index rose for a second day on Tuesday, as the U.S.
Federal Reserve cut interest rates to protect the U.S. economy from the impact
of the coronavirus, marking the central bank's first emergency rate cut since
the financial crisis. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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