UK Stocks-Factors to watch on June 29
June 29 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is expected to open higher on Thursday, with futures up 0.01%. * OCADO: British online supermarket Ocado Retail has followed rivals by cutting prices of some essential items, adding to hopes a surge in food inflation will moderate this year and provide relief to consumers battered by a cost of living crisis. * HACK: Mercenary hackers increasingly are targeting law firms in a bid to steal data that could tip the balance in legal cases, French and British authorities say, echoing a Reuters investigation that uncovered the phenomenon last year. * GLENCORE: Activist investor Bluebell Capital Partners issued a letter to the Glencore board on Wednesday asking them to remove Chief Executive Gary Nagle and commence the search for a new external CEO. * CONSUMERS: Britain's finance minister Jeremy Hunt met regulators on Wednesday to agree steps to ensure consumers are being treated fairly and that those who are struggling to make payments receive help, the Treasury said. * OIL: Oil prices eased on Thursday, paring some of the previous day's gains, as investors took profits on concerns that further interest rate hikes by central banks could dampen economic growth and global fuel demand. * British equities rose on Wednesday, driven by financial and industrial stocks as robust U.S. data continued to soothe concerns about an economic slowdown, while software company Sage jumped following a brokerage upgrade. * UK CORPORATE DIARY: Hunting Q2 trading statement Moonpig FY results De La Rue FY results * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times > Other business headlines (Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru)
