News: ALL UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Dec. 2

Dec 2 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening lower on Thursday with futures FFIc1 down 1.08%.

• PLAYTECH: Australia's Aristocrat Leisure (ALL) said its 2.1-billion-pound deal to buy London-listed gambling software maker Playtech PTEC.L was expected to complete in the second quarter of next year.
• HALFORDS: Halfords Group Plc HFD.L said it would buy Axle Group, the owner of the National tyre servicing brand, for 62 million pounds ($82.54 million) as the cycle retailer shifts focus to its motoring services business.
• RIVER AND MERCANTILE GROUP: British fund manager River and Mercantile Group (R&M) RIV.L said it had rejected an informal takeover approach from a blank-check company for its pensions business that it had agreed to sell to Schroders SDR.L .

• COVID-19: Britain said it had agreed deals to buy 114 million more Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shots, saying it had sped up signing the new contracts in light of the emergence of the new Omicron variant.
• TRADE DEAL: The United States will delay its deal to remove tariffs on UK steel and aluminum because of concerns about post-Brexit trade rules affecting Northern Ireland, the Financial Times reported.
• GOLD: Gold prices eased hurt by a firmer dollar, as investors assessed how central banks are likely to respond to surging inflation and concerns over economic growth spurred by the new Omicron coronavirus variant.
• METALS: Aluminium prices in London eased, hit by worries over the potential economic impact of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, but low inventories cushioned losses.

• OIL: Oil prices rose, recouping the previous day's losses, as investors adjusted positions ahead of an OPEC+ decision over supply policy, but gains were capped amid fears the Omicron coronavirus variant will hurt fuel demand.
• UK shares rebounded on Wednesday, boosted by a recovery in travel and commodity-linked stocks after concerns around the Omicron coronavirus variant eased slightly.
• UK CORPORATE DIARY: AJ Bell AJBA.L FY results Oxford Metrics OMG1.L FY results
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