April 12(Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen
opening lower, with futures .FFIc1 down 0.3% on Monday.
* ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) AZN.L had a positive meeting
with the European Commission last week, the Anglo-Swedish
company said after an Italian newspaper said the group had not
replied to an EU letter of complaint over COVID-19 vaccines
within a 20-day deadline. * ECONOMY: Confidence among big businesses in Britain about
their profits in the year ahead has hit a record high, helped by
the country's coronavirus vaccinations and hopes for less Brexit
disruption, a survey of chief finance officers showed.
* TRADE DEAL: A group of lawmakers in the United Kingdom and
a few business figures have formed an independent commission to
improve Britain's trade deal with the European Union and the
rest of the world, the Financial Times reported. * GOLD: Gold prices fell, weighed down by surging U.S.
Treasury yields and a firmer dollar after better-than-expected
U.S. economic data lifted prospects for higher inflation.
* OIL: Oil rose amid hopes that fuel demand is picking up in
the United States as the summer driving season approaches and
the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations there accelerates, though
increasing case numbers in other countries are set to cap gains.
* London's FTSE 100 ended lower on Friday as heavyweight
mining stocks tracked lower commodity prices, although the
blue-chip index recorded its best weekly performance since early
January on optimism about a recovery in the UK economy.
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