Dec 31 (Reuters) - Britain’s FTSE 100 futures were down 0.36% ahead of the cash market open.
* ENERGY PRICE CAP: Britain’s cap on domestic energy prices saved customers around 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) in 2019, but shopping around is still the best way to save money, the government said on Tuesday.
* MINIMUM WAGE: Britain’s national minimum wage will rise by more than 6% next year, taking it to 8.74 pounds ($11.49) an hour, the government announced on Tuesday.
* OIL: Oil prices held steady on the final day of the year, heading for their biggest annual rise since 2016, supported by a thaw in the prolonged U.S.-China trade dispute and supply cuts.
* GOLD: Gold rose to its highest level in more than three months, capping its best year in nearly a decade, on weakening dollar and year-end buying in thin-volume trading.
* The UK blue-chip index closed down 0.8% on Monday as investors consolidated gains from a rally that saw the blue-chip index enjoy its best run in three years and led midcaps to successive record highs.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
TODAY’S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times
> Other business headlines (Reporting by Aniruddha Ghosh in Bengaluru)
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