(Adds company news items and futures)
May 13 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 18
points higher at 7,221 on Monday, according to financial bookmakers, with FTSE
100 futures .FFIc1 down 0.04% ahead of the cash market open .
* TBC BANK: Georgia's largest retail lender TBC Bank Group TBCG.L said on
Monday that first-quarter earnings surged 36.7%, the biggest jump in seven
quarters, as its loan book grew on the back of a stable economy. * DIGNITY: Britain's Dignity Plc DTY.L reported a worse-than-expected
slump in underlying quarterly operating profit on Monday, as it provided
services for fewer funerals. * CENTRICA: Britain's largest energy supplier Centrica Plc CNA.L said on
Monday it is facing a challenging trading environment due to a national price
cap on energy bills, warmer-than-normal weather and falling UK natural gas
prices. * GLENCORE: Zambia's Mopani Copper Mines plans to close two shafts at its
Nkana mine in Kitwe, the Glencore-owned GLEN.L company said on Friday, a move
that union sources said could affect more than 2,000 workers. * INMARSAT: Investors in Inmarsat ISA.L voted on Friday to sell the
British satellite firm to a private equity-led consortium for $3.4 billion
following a recommendation from the company's board that the offer was fair and
reasonable.
* OIL: Oil futures were mixed on Monday, with U.S. crude edging lower, as
investors and traders fretted over global economic growth prospects amid a
standoff in Sino-U.S. trade talks. * GOLD: Gold prices dipped on Monday as Sino-U.S. trade tensions and
uncertainty over a deal weighed on yuan, making the bullion expensive for buyers
in world's largest consumer — China. * The UK blue chip index closed 0.1% lower on Friday with exporters
following the U.S. dollar lower as hopes for a resolution to the U.S.-China
trade dispute stoked appetite for riskier assets. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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