March 4 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen
opening 80 points lower at 6,595 on Thursday, according to
financial bookmakers.
* CAR SALES: British new car registrations fell by roughly
36% year-on-year in February, according to preliminary data from
an industry body, as lockdown measures forced showrooms to close
their doors to the public. * ASTRAZENECA: The Czech Republic has declined an offer to
buy AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) Plc's AZN.L coronavirus vaccines from an
intermediary in the United Arab Emirates, Czech officials said
on Wednesday. * BT: BT BT.L , Britain's biggest broadband and mobile
provider, said the "super deduction" tax break for investment
announced by the government on Wednesday would significantly cut
its tax bill for several years. * RIO: A U.S. judge on Wednesday quashed a bid to widen the
scope of a civil lawsuit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission that accused miner Rio Tinto RIO.AX of fraud at its
Mozambican coal business, a court filing showed. * SAINSBURY'S: British supermarket group Sainsbury 's
SBRY.L plans to cut an additional 500 jobs and reduce its
office space as it simplifies administrative functions for the
post-pandemic era, it said on Wednesday. * BOE: Bank of England policymaker Silvana Tenreyro said on
Wednesday there was no good evidence that cutting interest rates
below zero would, past a certain point, weaken Britain's economy
rather than boost it. * GOLD: Gold prices hovered near a nine-month low hit in the
previous session, as rising U.S. Treasury yields kept the
non-yielding bullion under pressure. * OIL: Oil prices rose for a second straight session, as the
possibility that OPEC+ producers might decide against increasing
output at a key meeting later in the day lent support, alongside
a drop in U.S. fuel inventories. * British shares rose on Wednesday, buoyed by gains in
financial, leisure and homebuilding stocks as investors cheered
finance minister Rishi Sunak's budget plan to steer the economy
out of a coronavirus-inflicted shock. UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Entain ENT.L FY results
Melrose MRON.L FY results
Cairn Homes CRN.L FY results
Admiral ADML.L FY results
Coats Group COA.L FY results
Hunting HTG.L FY results
Hutchison China Meditech HCM.L FY results
Rathbone RAT.L FY results
Rentokil Initial RTO.L FY results
William Hill WMH.L FY results
Galliford Try GFRD.L HY results
Vistry Group VTYV.L FY results
CRH CRH.L FY results
Meggitt MGTT.L FY results
Aviva AV.L FY results
Schroders SDR.L FY results
Mail.ru Group MAILRq.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