* PEARSON: British education group Pearson said it would grow sales by low to mid single digits this year after demand for English language learning helped sales rise 5% and operating profits rise 11% in 2022, in line with its update last month.
* RIGHTMOVE: British real-estate portal Rightmove Plc raised its final dividend payment and posted a
higher annual operating profit , supported by resilient traffic despite a less-frenetic property market.
* LME: The Bank of England said that reviews into LME Clear's suspension
of trading on its nickel market in March last year had pointed to several
shortcomings at the clearing house of the London Metal Exchange.
* LME: Britain's Financial Conduct Authority has begun an enforcement
investigation into the London Metal Exchange's suspension of nickel trading in 2022, the watchdog said.
* ARM: British chip technology firm Arm Ltd, owned by Japanese
conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp , said it will pursue a
US-only listing this year, ending speculation about a primary or a secondary listing in the UK.
* OIL: Oil prices fell but were poised for a weekly gain as renewed optimism
on China's demand recovery over-rode recession worries.
* GOLD: Gold prices rose and looked set to post their biggest weekly gain
since mid-January, as the U.S. dollar eased.
* METALS: London copper prices were on track for a weekly gain as promising
economic data from top metals consumer China bolstered demand prospects.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times > Other business headlines (Reporting by Prerna Bedi in Bengaluru)
