UK MORNING BRIEFING: Shares Open Lower Amid Executive Changes

LONDON (Alliance News) - UK shares have opened lower Wednesday, following a negative lead from Wall Street and Asia and ahead of the release of central bank meeting minutes in the UK and US.

A few interesting executive changes have been announced before the London open Wednesday.

Burberry said Carolyn McCall, chief executive of easyJet, will join its board as a non-executive director. The FTSE 100 luxury retailer also reported a rise in annual profit and revenue, while declaring a 10% dividend increase.

Carpetright said Lord Harris Of Peckham will retire In September, while naming Wilf Walsh, formerly of Coral and HMV, as chief executive.

Belvoir Lettings said it newly appointed CEO, Carl Chadwick, will step down.

Here is what you need to know at the UK market open:
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MARKETS
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FTSE 100: down 0.2% at 6,786.15
FTSE 250: down 0.1% at 15,425.01
AIM ALL-SHARE: down 0.1% at 790.46
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Hang Seng: down 0.2% at 22,796.94
Nikkei 225: closed down 0.2% at 14,042.17
DJIA: closed down 0.8% at 16,374.31
S&P 500: closed down 0.7% at 1,872.83
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GBP-USD: up at USD1.6850
EUR-USD: up at USD1.3716

GOLD: down at USD1,293.33 per ounce
OIL (Brent): flat at USD109.76 a barrel

(changes since end of previous GMT day)
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ECONOMICS AND GENERAL
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Wednesday's Key Economic Events still to come
(all times British Summer Time)

09:00 EU Current Account
09:30 UK Bank of England Minutes
09:30 UK Retail Sales
n/a Germany 10-yr Bond Auction
12:00 US MBA Mortgage Applications
15:00 EU Consumer Confidence Preliminary
15:30 US EIA Crude Oil Stocks
16:00 US Fed's Yellen Speech
17:50 US Fed's George Speech
18:30 US Fed Minneapolis's Narayana Kocherlakota speech
19:00 US FOMC Minutes
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The Bank of Japan left its monetary policy unchanged and raised its assessment of capital expenditure, as the economy is expected to withstand the impact of sales tax hike. The policy board of the central bank decided to persists with its policy of increasing the monetary base at an annual pace of about JPY60 trillion to JPY70 trillion.
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Japan posted a merchandise trade deficit of JPY808.8 billion in April, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday - sliding into the red for the 22nd consecutive month. The headline figure missed forecasts for a shortfall of 646 billion yen following the 1,446 billion yen deficit in March. Exports climbed 5.1% on year, beating expectations for an increase of 4.8% following the 1.8% gain in the previous month. Imports jumped an annual 3.4% versus forecasts for an increase of 0.8% following the 18% surge a month earlier.
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China's economy added 4.73 million jobs in the first four months of 2014, which was higher by 30,000 from the same period of last year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS) said. The service sector has created more jobs despite slowing economic growth. Xin Changxing, vice minister of the MHRSS said the government is confident of achieving job target this year. Premier Li Keqiang set the job target first and then calculated GDP target for 2014. China aims to achieve about 7.5% economic growth.
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As Russia vows to veto an upcoming UN Security Council resolution to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court, calls from the wider UN membership intensify to end the council's three-year gridlock on the brutal conflict. The UN Security Council is expected to vote on a resolution Thursday to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court, and with Russia vowing to veto it, several UN member states are again calling for meaningful action by the council.
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At least 118 people were killed in a twin bombing at a crowded market in the Plateau State capital Jos in central Nigeria, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said early Wednesday. And at least an additional 45 people were injured, according to Plateau State police commissioner Chris Olakpe.
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Two of the most prominent contenders for the helm of the European Commission disparaged extremist political parties on Tuesday, days before European elections that are expected to deliver gains for the far right. "If I would become commission president only because the extremes had voted for me, I would abandon the post," conservative candidate Jean-Claude Juncker said during an election debate hosted by the German broadcaster ARD. Socialist candidate Martin Schulz also urged his German countrymen to turn up in large numbers for the elections this week, to prevent the far-right National Democratic Party from entering the European Parliament.
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BROKER RATING CHANGES
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CITIGROUP CUTS MARKS & SPENCER TO 'NEUTRAL' ('BUY') - TARGET 465 (510) PENCE
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DEUTSCHE BANK CUTS MORRISON TO 'SELL' ('HOLD') - TARGET 190 (200) PENCE
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BARCLAYS RAISES PETROFAC TO 'EQUAL WEIGHT' - TARGET 1500 (1655) PENCE
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UBS RAISES N BROWN TO 'NEUTRAL' ('SELL') - TARGET 485 (535) PENCE
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TRADERS: HSBC RAISES INTERNATIONAL PERSONAL FINANCE TO 'NEUTRAL'
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COMPANIES - FTSE 100
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SSE FY Pretax Profit GBP575.3M Vs GBP571.3M; Revenue GBP30.59B Vs GBP28.30B; Increases FY Dividend 3% to 86.7 Pence Per Share; Says Networks And Wholesale Profit Up In FY But Retail Profit Down
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Burberry Group FY Reported Pretax Profit GBP444.4M Vs GBP350.7M; Adjusted Pretax Profit Of GBP460.3M Vs GBP428.1M; FY Revenues GBP2.33B Vs GBP1.99B; Full-Year Dividend Up 10% To 32.0p; Outerwear, Large Leather Goods, Menswear Key Growth Drivers; Sterling Strength Could Hit Reported Retail/Wholesale Profit In FY2015 Materially; GBP200M In Capex Planned In FY2015
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COMPANIES - FTSE 250
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Playtech Says Remains Confident Of Further Progress In 2014 And Beyond
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FirstGroup FY Pretax Profit Up 23% To GBP111.9M Vs GBP90.9M; Revenue Down 2.7% To GBP6.7B Vs GBP6.9B; Will Not Reinstate A Dividend For FY Due To Current Stage In Turnaround Plan; CEO: We Have Made Satisfactory Progress, Still Have Some Way To Go; Broadly On Track For Medium-Term Targets; Says Overall Trading In Line With Expectations In FY
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Telecom Plus FY Adjusted Pretax Profit Up 25% To GBP44.6M Vs GBP35.6M; Revenue Up 9.5% To GBP658.8M Vs GBP601.5M; FY Dividend Up 13% To 35P Per Share Vs 31P; "Comfortable" With Market Expectations For Pretax Profit Of GBP63M In 2014
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Britvic H1 Pretax Profit GBP45.3M Vs GBP37.5M; H1 Revenues GBP670.7M Vs GBP639.2M; H1 Volume Growth Of 3.9%, ARP Growth Of 0.8%; Interim Dividend Up 13% To 6.1P Vs 5.4P; Remain Confident In Delivering FY EBIT Range Of GBP148M To GBP156M; Outperforming GB Take-Home Soft Drinks Markets
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Great Portland Estates FY Pretax Profit GBP422.2M Vs GBP180.6M; Revenue GBP85.2M Vs GBP69.0M; Declares Total Dividend Of 8.8 Pence
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Cable & Wireless FY Pretax Loss USD70M, Versus USD27M Profit Year Before; Revenue USD1.87B, Down From USD1.94B Year Before; Full-Year Dividend 4 US Cents, Unchanged; FY EBITDA USD608M, Up 5% From USD581M; Margin Up 2 Points To 32%; Net Debt Down By USD1.4 Billion To USD205M Pro-Forma
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DCC FY Pretax Profit Of GBP151.2M Vs GBP132.9M; Revenue GBP11.23B Vs GBP10.57B; Full Year Dividend 10% To 76.85P; Expects FY Operating Profit, Adjusted EPS For FY2015 To Be 10% Ahead Of Prior Year; Says Outlook For FY2015 Is Based On Assumption Of Normal Winter Weather
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COMPANIES - ALL-SHARE AND AIM
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Panmure Gordon Chairman: Plans To Resume Dividend Payments In 2015 If Market Conditions, Profitability Maintained; Have Seen Strong Revenue Growth Since Start Of 2014; Making Encouraging Progress In 2014
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Michelmersh Brick Says Demand Continued In Q1; Volumes For Brick Industry Up 26%; Average Price Increase Of 13% In Q1
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Wolf Minerals Says It Raised USD182.7M In New Funds
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Mar City CEO: Trading Outlook Remains Positive, Activity Increasing Across All Sites Under Development
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Conygar Investment H1 Pretax Profit GBP7.5M Vs GBP199,000 Loss
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HICL Infrastructure Co FY Pretax Profit GBP153.8M Vs GBP93.1M; NAV Per Share 123.1P Up 6.7P In FY 2013
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Belvoir Lettings Says Newly Appointed CEO Carl Chadwick To Step Down; Executive Chairman Mike Goddard Will Resume Role Of CEO; Appoints Louise George As Finance Director; Says It Is Trading Well In 2014
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Sound Oil 2013 Pretax Loss GBP6.9M, Narrowed From GBP4.8M Loss In 2012; Reports Maiden Revenue In 2013 Of GBP482,000
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Carpetright Says Lord Harris Of Peckham Will Retire In September; Names Wilf Walsh As Chief Executive, Effective From July 21; Walsh Was Formerly With Coral, HMV; Baroness Noakes Will Be Non-Executive Chairman From September Until New Chair Found
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West African Minerals Names Bradford Mills As Executive Chairman; Says Jim Mellon To Remain On Board As Non-Exec, Dehnam Eke To Leave Board But Remain CFO
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Stobart Group FY Underlying Pretax Profit From Continuing Operations GBP5.4M, Down From GBP6.3M; Full-Year Dividend Unchanged At 6.0p; Confirms Will Maintain Dividend, Funded By Property Disposals In Short Term
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Lekoil Says Share Placing Completed At 67.75p Per Share, Raising GBP22.4M
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UK Mail Group FY Pretax Profit Up 28% To GBP22.8M From GBP17.8M; Revenue Up 7.0% To GBP508.5M From GBP475.4M; Lifts Full-Year Dividend 13% To 21.3p From 18.8p; Expectations For Current Year Unchanged;Sees Good Growth In Parcel Volumes In Start Of New Year, But Lower Than In 2nd Half Of Previous
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Tower Resources Says Delay To Drilling Schedule In Namibia; Doesn't Expect Drilling Operations To Recommence Until End May;Says Drilling Delay Will Have No Material Financial Consequences
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RTC Group Chairman: Board Confident To Meet Market Expectations For 2014; Firm Has Traded Well Since 2013 Results In March
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Wednesday's Scheduled AGMs/EGMs

Antofagasta
Petrofac
Polymetal
Michelmersh Brick Holdings
Foxtons Group
Legal & General Group
Mecom Group
F&C Commercial Property Trust
CSR
Impax Environmental Markets
Merchants Trust
Playtech
Jupiter Fund Management
Optimal Payments
Panmure Gordon
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By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com; @thomaslwaite

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