* GREGGS: Britain's baker and fast food chain Greggs warned that high inflation would continue to be a challenge this year.
* ASHTEAD: Ashtead Group forecast annual results
ahead of its estimates and raised capital spend outlook for next year.
* WOOD GROUP: John Wood Group said it had
rejected the latest buyout proposal from private-equity firm Apollo Global Management Inc , citing that the offer undervalued the company.
* FOXTONS: British estate agency Foxtons Group Plc said it
expected property sales market to
turn favourable in the latter part of 2023, buoyed by anticipated reduction in high mortgage rates.
* REACH PLC: Reach , the British publisher of the newspapers
including the Daily Mirror and regional titles, posted a
27% drop in annual profit.
* HOUSE PRICES: British house prices jumped
unexpectedly in February, mortgage lender Halifax said, adding that the overall trend remained downwards.
* HSBC: HSBC China said it did not receive any instructions from Chinese
regulators to restrict outbound remittance, and was not aware of any Chinese
policy changes recently regarding cross-border capital outflow.
* RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto said it had agreed to pay a $15 million civil
penalty to settle an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission.
* RETAIL SALES: Valentine's Day helped to boost British retail sales in
February but volumes remained down on last year, a survey showed.
* OIL: Oil prices edged up after industry executives flagged concerns about
limited spare capacity in the market and uncertainty over Russian supplies while
demand from top crude importer China is recovering.
* GOLD: Gold prices rose marginally as investors awaited U.S. Federal
Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's testimony to Congress and monthly jobs data.
* 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)
