(MENAFN- ProactiveInvestors - UK) There is a dearth of new from Footsie heavyweights so attention is focused on this afternoon meeting of Eurozone finance ministers.
Naturally, Greece will be the main item on the agenda, though the French finance minister has already ruled out a deal being agreed today.
Talking of finance ministers, George Osborne's first Budget speech of the new parliament could happen soon, judging by hints being dropped by Tory luminaries.
Meanwhile, among the few snippets of information released this morning by blue-chip companies is confirmation of the appointments of Frank Cooper, Peter Kukielski, Futhi Mtoba and Wayne Osborn as non-executive directors of South32, the company that is to be demerged from BHP Billiton (LON:BLT).
BHP's perennial rival Rio Tinto (LON:RIO), meanwhile, is betting on a faster-than-expected recovery in the price of copper, according to a report in the Financial Times.
"It was expected to be oversupplied but because of disruption in the marketplace and because of decisions made by the industry to slow down some projects we could face a situation where the market is balanced this year," Jean-Sébastien Jacques, Rio Tinto's head of copper who is also chairman of the International Copper Association, told the Pink 'Un.
"If you had asked me the question in December last year I would have said the inflection point would be three or four years down the road and today it is likely to be 18-24 months down the road," he added.
That is scant consolation for platinum producer Lonmin (LON:LMI), which has announced swingeing job cuts in response to soft platinum group metals (PGM) prices.
"We are consulting on a reduction in labour costs of 10% through voluntary separation packages and early retirements, with no short-term expected impact on production, which may result in a headcount reduction of 3,500 people," the company revealed in its half-yearly report.
Littlewoods, once a name synonymous with football pools (ask your grandfather) and catalogue shopping (ask your grandmother) is axing the catalogue after 80 years.
The move is not a surprise, given that Argos went down this route a little while ago, but what may come as a surprise is that at its peak, 25mln Littlewoods catalogue were shipped out; that number was down to just 300,000 before the axe fell.
HSS Hire (LON:HSS), the tool and equipment hire firm, has acquired All Seasons Hire for £11.4mln.
All Seasons specialises in the supply and installation of temporary, large-scale heating and cooling equipment, particularly for schools, hospitals and data centres.
Small caps grabbing the eye this morning include Sound Oil, Action Hotels and KEFI Minerals.
Sound Oil (LON:SOU) has had two bites at the news cherry, with a drilling update on its second Nervesa well and, more significantly, the first transformational deal in the company's Mediterranean gas strategy.
A deal with OGIF could see Sound take a 55% stake in an onshore gas development off the coast of Morocco.
Shares in Action Hotels (LON:AHCG) moved higher after the operator of mid-range hotels in the Middle East said the average daily rate it achieved in the first quarter rose 3% to US$111.
KEFI Minerals (LON:KEFI) has raised £666,000 through a share placing at a penny a pop, after Goldfield Resources said it could not meet the already extended deadline to stump up £3mln for the shares it had subscribed for.
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