FTSE 100 to Open Lower on Russia-Ukraine Worries

The FTSE 100 is seen opening lower with spread betting firm IG expecting the London stocks index to fall 90 points as investors fret over the implications of harsh new Western sanctions against Russia. The U.S., the U.K., the EU and Canada have blocked some Russian banks from the Swift international banking payments system while Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to put the country's nuclear deterrence on high alert. Putin's statement "Comes across as a move that smacks of desperation, but it also puts the world, and Europe especially, into its most dangerous period since the 1980s, at the height of the Cold War," CMC Markets says. European markets "look set to get clobbered," it adds. 


 
Companies News:

GlaxoSmithKline Stops Enrollment, Vaccination in RSV Maternal Vaccine Trials

GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Monday that it has stopped enrollment and vaccination in three trials evaluating its respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, maternal vaccine in pregnant women.

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McColl's Says It Is in Talks With Lenders; Has Had Buyout Interest

McColl's Retail Group PLC said Monday that it is still in discussions with its lenders over funding as supply-chain constraints have squeezed its cash balances, and it has received indications of interest for parts of its businesses.

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Centralnic Buys German Online Marketing Company for Initial EUR67M, Funded via Equity Issue

Centralnic Group PLC said Monday that it is buying German online marketing business VGL Verlagsgesellschaft mbH for an initial sum of 67 million Euros ($75.5 million), which will be part funded via a share placing and open offer.

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Safestyle UK Sees January Cyberattack Hitting 1H Revenue by 10%

Safestyle UK PLC said Monday that a cyberattack upon it on Jan. 25 has caused around a 10% hit to its first-half revenue, and that it has been advised that the attack came from Russia.

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OnTheMarket Sees FY 2022 Adjusted Operating Profit in Line After Implementation of Partnerships

OnTheMarket PLC said Monday that it expects to report adjusted operating profit in line with raised expectations, after the successful implementation of a number of commercial partnerships.

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AB Foods Expects Higher 1H Revenue, Adusted Operating Profit

Associated British Foods PLC said Monday that revenue and adjusted operating profit for the first half of fiscal 2022 are expected to be significantly higher than a year earlier.

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OptiBiotix 2021 Sales, Gross Profit Rose as It Expanded to New Regions

OptiBiotix Health PLC said Monday that sales and gross profit in 2021 significantly rose, with both its prebiotic and probiotic divisions showing growth.

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Amala Foods Progresses Rare Earths Acquisition, Venture-Builder Business Spinoff

Amala Foods PLC said Monday that it is undertaking due diligence for the acquisition of Terra Rara UK Ltd., a rare earths exploration company in Africa.


Contact: London NewsPlus, Dow Jones Newswires; Write to Sarka Halas at sarka.halas@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

02-28-22 0309ET