Aug 29 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 17
points lower at 7,097
on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* BP: Operations were normal at BP Plc's BP.L 430,000-barrel-per-day (bpd)
Whiting, Indiana, refinery on Wednesday despite talk in Midwestern refined
products markets that at least one unit had been shut at the refinery, said
sources familiar with plant operations. * IAG: Ground crew of Spanish flag carrier Iberia, part of British Airways
owner International Airlines Group ICAG.L will go ahead with planned strikes
at Barcelona's El Prat airport on Aug. 30-31, trade union UGT said on Wednesday,
only a few hours after suggesting the stoppage could be called off. * Goldman Sachs-backed GS.N British broadband operator CityFibre has
tabled a bid for rival TalkTalk's TALK.L network company, FibreNation, Sky
News reported on Wednesday. * BREXIT: Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) on Wednesday retained its estimate that there is a
50:50 chance Britain will crash out of the European Union without a deal with
Brussels following Prime Minister Boris Johnson's move to suspend parliament.
* BREXIT: A petition opposing Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to
suspend parliament for a month in the run-up to the planned Brexit date of Oct.
31 gained more than 450,000 signatures in a matter of hours after Johnson's
announcement. * BREXIT: Britain's deepening political crisis over its exit from the
European Union will weigh on London's blue-chip stocks index .FTSE well into
next year, as investors continue to steer clear of the region's assets,
according to a Reuters poll. * AUTOMOBILE: British new car production fell by an annual 10.6% in July,
the 14th consecutive month of declines due to weak demand in EU and Asian
markets and model changes, an industry body said on Thursday. * OIL: Oil prices fell on Thursday for the first time in three days after
San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly sounded a note of concern
about the strength of U.S. economy. * GOLD: Gold prices eked out gains on Thursday against the backdrop of
recession fears, with traders tracking signs of progress on the U.S.-China trade
talks and global central banks for direction on interest rates. * EX-DIVS: Auto Trader AUTOA.L , InterContinental Hotels IHG.L and St
James Place SJP.L will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend
pay-out on Thursday, trimming 0.8 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters
calculations. .L/XD
* Britain's Brexit-sensitive domestic stocks fell on Wednesday as renewed
worries about the country leaving the European Union without a deal pressured
sterling and sapped investor appetite for stocks sensitive to slowing consumer
spending. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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* UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Hays HAYS.L Full Year Results
Hunting HTG.L Interim Results
Eddie Stobart ESL.L Interim Results
Chesnara CSN.L Interim Results
James Fisher & Sons FSJ.L Interim Results
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