London pre-open: Footsie set to dip below 5700

16th Jun 2011 07:35

The market is still fretting about the situation in Greece and is set to open lower, with the top-share index predicted to open around 44 points lower, which would take it just below the 5,700 level.Greek prime minister George Papandreou is to seek a vote of confidence in the Greek parliament today, as talks about a much needed rescue package from the EU continue to drag on.On the corporate front, design and engineering consultancy WS Atkins topped revenue and profit expectations in what it described as a transformational year for the company. Revenue in the year ended 31 March rose 12.7% to £1,564m from £1,388m the year before, marginally ahead of market consensus of £1.558m. Underlying profit before tax climbed 9.4% to £102.7m from £93.9m a year earlier. The market had been expecting a figure of around £96.14m. Budget airline easyJet is to start operating flights from Southend Airport in Essex next year, the airport's owner, logistics firm Stobart, has announced.Power systems behemoth Rolls-Royce has won orders worth more than £100m from a range of ship yards in Asia to provide propulsion systems for offshore construction and drilling vessels.