UK Stocks-Factors to watch on February 12

Feb 12 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening higher on Thursday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.5%.

UNILEVER: Unilever's ULVR.L fourth-quarter underlying sales growth beat market expectations.

BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO: British American Tobacco BATS.L reported a 2.3% rise in annual profi t as it plans a productivity initiative that could bring job cuts , interim finance chief Javed Iqbal told reporters.

SCHRODERS: U.S. asset manager Nuveen has agreed to buy Schroders SDR.L for 9.9 billion pounds, the companies said.

RELX: RELX REL.L, whose shares have been hit by concerns about advances in AI, said the new technology would drive growth for many years to come after it posted a 9% rise in 2025 operating profit.

HSBC: The British government named lender HSBC HSBA.L as the platform provider for the country's digital gilt instrument (DIGIT) pilot issuance.

GREENCORE: Greencore's GNC.L second-largest shareholder is selling about 30.3 million shares of the Irish convenience food producer for about 88 million pounds, a bookrunner for the offering said.

HOUSING: The downturn in Britain's housing market abated in January, according to a report published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), which added to recent signs of a recovery.

ECONOMY: Britain's economy barely grew in the final quarter of 2025 as activity fared worse than initially estimated during the run-up to finance minister Rachel Reeves' budget, official figures showed.

COMMODITES: Oil prices edged up, nickel climbed, and gold prices dipped.

EX-DIVS: Pershing Square Holdings PSHP.L will trade without entitlement to its latest dividend pay-out on Thursday.

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