(Updates futures, adds news items)
Jan 2 - Britain's FTSE 100 futures .FFIc1 were down 0.9 percent ahead of the cash market open on Wednesday.
* PLAYTECH: Gambling software company Playtech PTEC.L will pay 28 million euros ($32.16 million) under a settlement with Israeli tax authorities following an audit of its accounts for the years from 2008 to 2017, the company said on Wednesday. HAMMERSON: British real estate investment trust Hammerson Plc HMSO.L confirmed on Wednesday that its financial performance for 2018 would be in line with market expectations, as it halted share buybacks ahead of the release of the results. OPHIR ENERGY: Britain's Ophir Energy Plc OPHR.L said on Monday it is in discussions for a possible all-cash takeover offer with a unit of Indonesia's Medco Energi Internasional Tbk PT MEDC.JK . GOLD: Gold prices rose on Wednesday on demand for safer investments amid falling equity markets and concerns over the outlook for global economic growth. OIL: Oil markets dropped by around 1 percent in 2019's first trading on Wednesday, pulled down by surging U.S. output and concerns about an economic slowdown in 2019 as factory activity in China, the world's biggest oil importer, contracted. The UK blue chip index closed 0.1 percent lower at 6728.13 on Monday, as a strong pound pulled down exporter shares, offsetting U.S. President Donald Trump's positive comments on the U.S.-China trade dispute. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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