Bank CEOs meet with Trump to discuss Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - Bloomberg
(Adds company news items and futures)
Jan 3 - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening down 32 points at
7,572 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers with futures down 0.34% ahead
of cash markets open.
*OFGEM: Britain's energy regulator said it had fined electricity suppliers
10.5 million pounds ($13.77 million) for the Aug. 9 blackout in the country that
affected one million customers and caused transport chaos. *RYANAIR: Ryanair RYA.I is prepared for further delays to the delivery of
its Boeing BA.N 737 MAX airliners, Chief Executive Officer Michael O'Leary
told German magazine Wirtschaftswoche, adding that he would only discuss
compensation after the aircraft had been delivered. * NEXT: British clothing retailer Next NXT.L edged up its profit forecast
for 2019-20 after better-than-expected sales in the Christmas trading period,
helped by a much colder November than last year. * U.S.-IRAN: The United States killed Iranian Major-General Qassem
Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force and spearhead of Iran's spreading
military influence in the Middle East, in an air strike at Baghdad airport, the
Pentagon and Iran said. * RAIL: Britain will bring to an end the Northern Rail franchise run by
Deutsche Bahn's Arriva due to its "completely unacceptable" performance,
Transport Minister Grant Shapps said on Thursday. * UK SHOP PRICES: British shop prices fell in December for the seventh month
running as retailers ramped up discounts to attract shoppers in the run-up to
Christmas, an industry survey showed. * OIL: Brent crude futures jumped close to $3 to their highest since
September after a U.S. air strike killed key Iranian and Iraqi military
personnel, raising concerns that escalating Middle East tensions may disrupt oil
supplies. * GOLD: Gold prices climbed to a four-month high, as tensions mounted in the
Middle East after a senior Iranian military official was killed in a U.S. air
strike, while a weaker dollar also provided some support to the metal.
* The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed up 0.8% on Thursday after two
straight sessions of losses to rise after China cut the reserve requirement
ratio for banks and Trump said a Phase 1 trade deal with Beijing would be signed
on Jan. 15.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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