US stock futures edge lower after S&P 500 hits record high; PCE data in focus
(Adds futures, news items)
Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 24 points lower at 6,166 on
Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 down 1% ahead
of cash markets open.
* ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca Plc AZN.L and Merck & Co Inc MRK.N said their
blockbuster cancer treatment Lynparza won approval in the European Union for
treating patients with a form of pancreatic cancer. * BOOHOO: Online fashion retailer Boohoo said it was launching an
independent review of its supply chain in Britain, led by a senior lawyer,
following a media report about dire working conditions in one English
factory. * FUNDING CIRCLE: Funding Circle FCH.L will cut around 85 jobs in its U.S.
business, the British-based peer-to-peer lending platform said. * FIRSTGROUP: UK-based bus and rail operator FirstGroup FGP.L warned on
its ability to continue as a going concern, after posting an annual operating
loss. * INSURANCE: Commercial insurers are facing hefty claims from the
coronavirus crisis but are also seeing a steep rise in premiums – tempting
companies and industry veterans to raise capital, launch new businesses or
expand into new lines. * OIL: Oil prices dipped after industry data showing a build in U.S. crude
stockpiles added to worries about oversupply. * GOLD: Gold steadied near a more than eight-year high, as worries over
surging COVID-19 cases and hopes of more stimulus measures from the U.S. Federal
Reserve lifted demand for the safe-haven metal. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE fell 1.5% on Tuesday, as a surge in U.S.
coronavirus cases turned investors away from riskier trades. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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