Aug 22 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen to opening 29
points lower at 7,175
on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO: Four dominant e-cigarette makers including a
unit of British American Tobacco BATS.L face a probe into the health impacts
of their products, as the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee asked on
Wednesday about the firms' research and marketing practices. * RYAN AIR: Ryanair RYA.I can still avoid a planned strike by British
pilots this week if it agrees to a new framework for talks, the chief of UK
pilot union BALPA said on Wednesday. * Britain and South Korea will sign a continuity Free Trade Agreement on
Thursday to allow businesses to keep trading freely after Brexit at the end of
October, the British government said. * Major British employers gave average pay rises of 2.6% to staff in the
three months to July, the highest pace of increase in more than 10 years, data
from industry consultants XpertHR showed on Thursday. * HSBC: HSBC Holdings Plc HSBA.L is considering a bid for Asian operations
being sold by Aviva Plc AV.L , according to a Bloomberg report. https://bloom.bg/33Z5IZk
* EX-DIVS: Berkeley Group BKGH.L , Carnival (NYSE:CCL) CCL.L , Croda
International CRDA.L , Imperial Brands IMB.L , London Stock Exchange LSE.L ,
Prudential PRU.L , Reckitt Benckiser RB.L and Schroders Plc SDR.L will
trade without entitlement to its latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming
5.7 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations. L/XD
* London's FTSE 100 rose 1.1% on Wednesday as oil majors tracked gains in
crude prices and exporters benefitted from a weaker pound, while markets waited
for minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve's July meeting for signs of further
policy easing. * GOLD: Gold prices were little changed on Thursday, holding above the key
$1,500 an ounce level, as investors awaited the Federal Reserve chair's speech
at a global central bankers' conclave for clues on future U.S. interest rate
cuts. * OIL: Oil prices slipped on Thursday, paring earlier gains, weighed down by
lingering worries about the global economy and bigger-than-expected builds in
oil product inventories in the United States, the world's biggest oil consumer.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
LIVE/
* UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Antofagasta (LON:ANTO) ANTO.L Half Year Earnings Release
NMC Health NMC.L Half Year Earnings Release
Playtech (LON:PTEC) PTEC.L Half Year Earnings Release
Premier Oil PMO.L Half Year Earnings Release
Laura Ashley ALY.L Half Year Earnings Release
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
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