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July 25 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 4 points lower at 7,705 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 down 0.26 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* VODAFONE: Vodafone VOD.L reported a slowdown in first-quarter organic service revenue on Wednesday, with tough trading in Italy and Spain taking the shine off the final set of results delivered by outgoing boss Vittorio Colao. ITV (LON:ITV): ITV ITV.L, Britain's biggest free-to-air commercial broadcaster, hailed a "fantastic" performance on air and online in its first half, with the World Cup and "Love Island" helping revenue to rise 8 percent to 1.59 billion pounds. TULLOW OIL: Africa-focused Tullow Oil TLW.L will use its first-half free cash flow of $401 million to pay down debt and invest rather than pay a dividend, it said on Wednesday, after having raised the possibility of a return to payouts. 3I: Private equity fund 3i III.L reported a net asset value of 760 pence for the quarter ending June 2018 on Wednesday, up from 724 pence in the year ending March 2018. WIZZ AIR: Budget airline Wizz Air WIZZ.L trimmed its full-year capacity growth forecast to 18 percent from 20 percent, as it expects disruptions related to European air traffic control issues to continue into autumn amid rising fuel prices. INFORMA: British event organiser Informa Plc INF.L on Wednesday raised its cost savings target from its deal to buy rival UBM Plc and reported a 3.3 percent rise in first-half adjusted profit, as it begins to benefit from the acquisition. INDIVIOR: Indivior INDV.L said on Wednesday the impact from the launch of a generic version of its opioid addiction treatment "could be materially higher" in 2018, as the British drugmaker posted a second straight drop in quarterly profit. BRITAIN REGULATOR: Britain's financial watchdog said it was proposing a basic interest rate for older cash savings accounts because the market was not working well for longstanding customers. BHP: The world's largest copper mine, BHP's BLT.L , BHP.AX Escondida in Chile, said on Tuesday it had made a final offer in talks with the union representing its rank-and-file workers that includes a beefed up contract signing bonus and a 1.5 percent increase in wages. METRO BANK: British lender Metro Bank MTRO.L said on Tuesday it would raise about 300 million pounds ($394 million) through a share placing and reported higher first-half underlying pretax profit, setting it on track for its second full year of profitability. LENTA: Russian food retailer Lenta LNTAq.L expects positive free cash flow next year, the company told investors on Tuesday. BRITAIN-INSURANCE: Brussels, Athens and Piraeus are among cities London insurance brokers could consider for European Union subsidiaries, with time running out to plan for a hard Brexit, a trade body said on Wednesday. GOLD: Gold prices were little changed on Wednesday as the dollar held steady ahead of a meeting between the U.S. and European Commission presidents to discuss trade-related issues. OIL: Oil prices rose for a second day on Wednesday after industry group data showed U.S. crude inventories fell more than expected last week, easing worries about oversupply that had dragged on markets in recent sessions. The UK blue chip FTSE 100 .FTSE index ended the session up 0.7 percent at 7,709.05 points on Tuesday, as banks and mining companies rallied, joining in with a broader rise across European stocks as sectors bruised by trade uncertainty regained some ground. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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