(Adds company news items and futures.)
Feb 14 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 10
points higher on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1
up 0.2% ahead of the cash market open.
* RBS: Royal Bank of Scotland RBS.L reported a better-than-expected
pre-tax profit of 4.2 billion pounds ($5.48 billion), as Chief Executive Officer
Alison Rose set out a new strategy including a planned renaming of the
taxpayer-backed group to its biggest brand NatWest. * SHELL: Shell said it had identified an employee at its main Singapore
office who had been in contact with a coronavirus case and had advised other
staff close to him to work from home. * ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca AZN.L expects 2020 revenue growth in the high
single-digit to low double-digit percentages, including a hit it now expects
from the coronavirus outbreak in China, its second biggest market, the British
drugmaker said. * EI GROUP/STONEGATE: The UK's competition watchdog said it will not be
referring the takeover of Ei Group EIGE.L by Slug and Lettuce owner Stonegate
to an in-depth investigation. * OIL: Oil prices were steady, but set for their first weekly gain in six
weeks on the assumption that major producers will implement deeper output cuts
to offset slowing demand in China caused by the coronavirus epidemic.
* GOLD: Gold eased from an over one-week peak as risk sentiment improved on
hopes of global measures to soften the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, but a
surge in new cases capped bullion's losses and kept it on track for a weekly
gain. * London's blue-chip index fell on Thursday after two successive days of
gains, dragged down by exporters which were hurt by a stronger pound as
investors positioned for a higher-spending budget next month under a new British
finance minister. TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines PRESS/GB