UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Feb 23

(Adds company news items, futures)
Feb 23 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 10
points higher at 6,622 on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers, with
futures .FFIc1 up 0.22% ahead of cash market open.

* INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS: InterContinental Hotels IHG.L signalled its
pandemic-driven troubles were far from over as repeated COVID-19 restrictions
and lockdowns forced the Holiday Inn-owner to cancel its final dividend and book
an annual loss. * EASYJET: EasyJet EZJ.L said flight bookings jumped over 300% and
holidays bookings surged by more than 600% week on week, after Britain laid out
plans for international travel to restart, hinting that borders could reopen
from mid-May. * G4S: G4S GFS.L recommended shareholders to vote for Allied Universal's
final offer that values the British firm at 3.8 billion pounds, a day after a
rare auction battle with Canada's GardaWorld. * AVIVA: Aviva AV.L has agreed the sale of its operations in France for
3.2 billion euros to newly created French insurer Aéma Groupe. * NON-STANDARD FINANCE: Non-Standard Finance NSF.L said it needs to raise
new capital to stave off future covenant breaches and to address material
uncertainties about its going concern status. * FRASERS: Frasers said it will book a non-cash impairment charge, which
could be in excess of 100 million pounds, in its 2020-21 results. * STANDARD LIFE ABERDEEN: Phoenix Group PHNX.L is to take on the Standard
Life brand from Standard Life Aberdeen SLA.L as the pair simplify their
partnership arrangement. * HSBC: HSBC Holdings PLC HSBA.L abandoned its long-term profitability
target, and unveiled a revised strategy focussed mainly on wealth management in
Asia and the Middle East after posting a sharp drop in annual
profit. * COVID-19: British finance minister Rishi Sunak said he would set out more
details of job support measures at his budget next week, after official figures
showed unemployment had risen to its highest since early 2016. * ECONOMY: Britain's unemployment rate rose to 5.1% in the last three months
of 2020, official data showed. * GOLD: Gold climbed bolstered by a weaker dollar and a retreat in U.S.
Treasury yields. * OIL: Oil prices jumped by more than $1, underpinned by optimism over
COVID-19 vaccine rollouts and lower output as U.S. supplies were slow to return
after a deep freeze in Texas shut in crude production last week. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.2% lower on Monday, but recovered
from early lows as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out a phased plan to
end England's COVID-19 lockdown. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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TODAY'S UK PAPERS
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