UK Stocks-Factors to watch on March 23
March 23 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening higher on Wednesday, with futures up 0.57%. * UK-U.S. TRADE: The United States and Britain ended a four-year dispute over U.S. steel and aluminium tariffs on Tuesday, pledging to work together to counter China in a deal that also removes retaliatory tariffs from U.S. motorcycles, whiskey and other products. * LME: The London Metal Exchange has no current plans to ban from its system metal from Russian producers, such as nickel and copper from Norilsk Nickel or aluminium from Rusal, it said on Tuesday. * BoE: The European Central Bank has so far made no attempt to move a large number of bankers from London to new post-Brexit hubs in the European Union, but the "jury is still out", Bank of England officials said on Tuesday. * MCCOLL'S: Privately owned British supermarket group Morrisons is considering options on how to deal with the financial struggles of its convenience store partner McColl's , Sky News reported on Tuesday. * BORROWING: British public borrowing has fallen by more than half since its peak during the pandemic, but debt servicing costs are rising rapidly, official figures showed on Tuesday ahead of new budget plans from finance minister Rishi Sunak. * PLATTS: S&P Global Platts said on Tuesday its trading platform would allow participants to specify any restrictions on the origin of products, in a move that could make it easier for market players to boycott Russian oil. * OIL: Oil prices rose as a reported drop in U.S. crude inventories increased concerns about tight global supplies amid the hit to Russian exports from economic sanctions. * GOLD: Gold prices held steady as worries over the Ukraine crisis supported demand for the safe-haven metal, although calls from U.S. Federal Reserve officials for sharper interest rate hikes to combat inflation weighed on market sentiment. * METALS: London aluminium prices rose, recouping the previous session's losses, as risks of supply shortages amid the heightened Russia-Ukraine conflict underpinned the market. * FTSE 100: London's blue-chip shares rose for a fifth straight session on Tuesday, led by banks and insurance stocks, as investors awaited the release of inflation data and a budget update on Wednesday. * UK CORPORATE DIARY: HENRY ROOT BOOT.L FY results PENDRAGON PDG.L FY results PETROFAC PFC.L FY results DIGNITY PLC DTY.L FY results SAGA PLC SAGA.L FY results * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times > Other business headlines (Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru)
