UK Stocks-Factors to watch on February 26

Adds new items, updates futures

Feb 26 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening higher on Wednesday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.66%.

ASTON MARTIN : Luxury carmaker Aston Martin AML.L said it will cut about 5% of its global workforce, to further reduce costs and drive future investments.

METRO: British lender Metro Bank MTRO.L said it has signed an agreement to sell a portfolio of about 584 million pounds ($738.47 million) of unsecured personal loans.

ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca AZN.L said that its experimental treatment camizestrant improved survival in patients with an advanced form of breast cancer without the disease getting worse in a late-stage trial.

HEATHROW: Britain's Heathrow Airport reported a jump in annual profit after passenger numbers rose to record levels in 2024, weeks after the government threw its weight behind the hub's expansion project as it seeks boosts to trade and economic growth.

RATHBONES: British wealth manager Rathbones RAT.L reported a 79% rise in full-year pre-tax profit, helped by higher inflows and customer numbers.

LABOUR: Up to 160,000 part-time retail jobs in Britain are at risk of being lost over the next three years, the British Retail Consortium warned.

THAMES WATER: Britain's Thames Water has asked KKR KKR.N and Castle Water to provide more detail on bids for stakes in the struggling water utility, Bloomberg News reported.

NET ZERO: Britain must end its reliance on fossil fuels, switch to electric vehicles and heat pumps, and eat less meat to reach its 2050 net zero target, the Climate Change Committee said.

OIL: Oil prices climbed in early Asian trading hours, bouncing off two-month lows hit in the prior session.

METALS: London copper gave up some early gains.

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

($1 = 0.7908 pounds)