(Adds news items, futures)
Sept 13 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 13
points at 7,358 points on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with
futures FFIc1 up 0.2% ahead of cash market open.
* J D WETHERSPOON: Britain's J D Wetherspoon JDW.L reported a higher
annual pretax profit as more Britons visited its pubs even though overall
consumer confidence and spending came under pressure due to Brexit
uncertainties. * STHREE PLC: British recruiting firm SThree Plc STHR.L reported a 4% rise
in net fees for the third quarter as robust hiring overseas more than offset
weakness at home. * SSE PLC: SSE Plc SSE.L , one of Britain's big six energy suppliers, said
it would sell its energy services unit to OVO Group for 500 million pounds
($617.6 million), including debt, as it looks to focus on renewable energy and
electricity networks. * DIAGEO: Unions at Diageo DGE.L are demanding a 5% pay rise for workers
due to go on strike in Scotland later this month and believe the stoppages will
cost the drinks company 1 million pounds ($1.2 million) a day, a source familiar
with the matter said. * WOODFORD PATIENT CAPITAL TRUST: Woodford Patient Capital Trust WPCT.L ,
the listed trust run by under-fire money manager Neil Woodford, said its
administrator Link Fund Solutions would cut the valuation of its stake in
another of the company's holdings.
* OIL: Oil futures fell as concerns about global growth and slowing demand
lingered despite hints of progress on U.S.-China trade talks, setting up prices
for weekly losses after days of swinging back and forth. O/R
* GOLD: Gold prices edged lower as improved risk appetite amid signs of a
thaw in the long-drawn U.S.-China trade tiff drew investors away from the
safe-haven metal, while palladium retreated slightly from a record peak hit in
the previous session. * The UK blue chip index closed up 0.1% at 7344.67 points on Thursday as
trade concerns were soothed by a two-week U.S. tariff reprieve on Chinese
imports and Morrisons jumped on upbeat profit and forecast. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
LIVE/
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines PRESS/GB