Feb 18 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening two
points higher at 6,713 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* SHELL: Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L said on Wednesday it would sell its
Kaybob Duvernay assets in Alberta to Canada's Crescent Point Energy Corp
CPG.TO for C$900 million, the latest divestiture in the North American country
by the European oil major. * NATWEST: The board of NatWest Group NWG.L is set to decide on Thursday
on a proposal to wind down its Ulster Bank subsidiary in the Republic of
Ireland, the Irish Times reported on Wednesday citing unnamed
sources. * GOLD: Gold prices clawed back from a 2-1/2-month low marked in the
previous session, as U.S. Treasury yields retreated, lifting the non-yielding
bullion's appeal. * OIL: Oil prices rallied again to hit 13-month highs as concerns that a
rare cold snap in Texas could disrupt U.S. crude output for days or even weeks
prompted fresh buying. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.6% lower on Wednesday as a third
national lockdown affected demand for new goods leading inflation to pick up a
little more than expected in January. UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Barclays Plc BARC.L FY results
Indivior Plc INDV.L FY results
Primary Health Properties Plc PHP.L FY results
Smith & Nephew Plc SN.L FY results
Hays Plc HAYS.L HY results
Moneysupermarket.com Group Plc MONY.L FY results
Hochschild Mining Plc HOCM.L FY results
* 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