(Adds futures, news items)
March 12 - Britain's FTSE 100 index .FTSE is seen opening down 347 points
on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 down 6%
ahead of the cash market open.
* CORONAVIRUS: British finance minister Rishi Sunak said that Britain did
not see the need for a U.S-style flying ban as part of its response to the
spread of coronavirus. * TESCO: Britain's biggest supermarket Tesco TSCO.L does not expect to see
anything more than short-term shortages of certain products as customers
stockpile over coronavirus, its chairman said. * BERKELEY GROUP: British housebuilder Berkeley Group BKGH.L said it would
delay its plan to increase shareholder returns until there was more clarity on
the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the UK economy.
* GALLIFORD TRY: Construction company Galliford Try plc overstated its
revenues in 2018 and its accounts have been restated, Britain's audit watchdog
said. * INTU: UK shopping mall operator Intu Properties INTUP.L flagged doubts
over its ability to continue as a going concern and reported a bigger annual
loss as real estate valuations declined against a tough retail backdrop.
* JUST GROUP: Specialist pension provider Just Group JUSTJ.L posted a fall
in 2019 profit due to a tough operating environment and did not declare a
dividend for the year. * TULLOW OIL: Africa-focused Tullow Oil TLW.L expects its free cash flow
to slide to $50 million to $75 million this year at an oil price LCOc1 of $50
a barrel, and to break even at prices of $45 a barrel, it said. * WH SMITH: British retailer WH Smith SMWH.L said the impact of
coronavirus on its stores in airports, stations and the high street could hit
its full-year underlying profit by between 30 million and 40 million pounds
($38-51 million). * GO-AHEAD: British transport company Go-Ahead Group GOG.L warned that
coronavirus is likely to impact travel patterns, without saying how, as it
guided that annual profit would be slightly lower than expected, hit by bad
weather in recent weeks. * SAVILLS: Real estate adviser Savills Plc SVS.L reported a rise in
full-year profit, as a late pick-up in its UK business following the general
elections helped offset weakness due to Brexit and political unrest in Hong
Kong. * TRAVEL CURB: U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered travel from
Europe to the United States restricted for 30 days, responding to mounting
pressure to take action against a rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak
disrupting nearly all corners of U.S. daily life. * RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto Ltd RIO.AX , RIO.L will pay out part of a delayed
bonus to former Chief Executive Sam Walsh after a dispute resolution process
found that the payments should not be held up, both parties said on Thursday.
* EUROPEAN BANKS: Europe's banks have called on European Union authorities
to ease capital rules and other regulatory barriers to helping businesses
struggling because of the coronavirus epidemic. * OIL: Oil prices fell for the second straight day on Thursday amid a broad
decline in global markets after the United States banned travel from Europe
following the World Health Organization's decision to declare the coronavirus
outbreak a pandemic. * GOLD: Gold inched up on Thursday on worries about the economic impact of
the coronavirus outbreak as the United States suspended travel from virus-hit
Europe, although gains were capped as traders covered margin calls after a
plunge in equities. * EX-DIVS: Anglo American AAL.L , CRH CRH.L and Land Securities LAND.L
will trade without entitlement to its latest dividend payout on Thursday,
trimming 3.8 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations.
* The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed down 1.6% on Wednesday as investors
doubted whether a Bank of England rate cut and a 30 billion-pound ($39 billion)
economic stimulus plan would be enough to counter the shock from the coronavirus
outbreak. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
LIVE/
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines PRESS/GB