(Adds company news items and futures)
March 9 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening down
419 points on Monday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures down 9.5%
ahead of cash markets open.
* EUROPEAN FUTURES: European futures tumbled 10% as the launch of a price
war between Saudi Arabia and Russia sent oil prices crashing, adding to fears
the world was sliding into recession on the back of the coronavirus epidemic.
* BRITAIN'S FCA: Britain's Financial Conduct Authority said it was reviewing
whether market participants are getting value for money for the data they buy
from stock exchanges and other vendors. * CINEWORLD: Cineworld CINE.L said its biggest shareholder Global City
Theatres B.V. had agreed to sell around 7.9% of the British cinema operator for
about 116 million pounds ($152.61 million) to buyers including Singapore
sovereign wealth fund GIC.
* COVID-19: Britain on Sunday advised citizens against all but essential
travel to a number of areas in northern Italy because of the spread of
coronavirus there. * WIZZ AIR: A Wizz Air WIZZ.L press conference in Abu Dhabi scheduled for
Tuesday, where Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi was due to attend, has been
cancelled due to the coronavirus, organisers said on Sunday.
* TESCO: Tesco TSCO.L , Britain's biggest retailer, said it had agreed to
sell its businesses in Thailand and Malaysia to a combination of CP Group
entities for an enterprise value of $10.6 billion. * BRITISH INSURERS: Insurers are expected to pay policyholders an estimated
363 million pounds ($471.79 million) for flood and wind damage from two storms
in Britain last month, the Association of British Insurers said on Saturday.
* OIL: Oil prices plummeted around 30%, with U.S. oil heading for its
biggest loss on record, after Saudi Arabia slashed prices and set plans for a
dramatic increase in crude production in April. * GOLD: Gold prices rose above the $1,700 per ounce level on Monday for the
first time in more than seven years, after a stock market rout due to concerns
over a widening coronavirus outbreak and its economic impact drove investors
towards safe-haven assets. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed down 3.6% on Friday as growing
economic risks from the coronavirus outbreak fuelled investor worries and added
to the sell-off on global stock markets. Fears about the virus also sparked a
flight to the safety of bonds. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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