(Adds futures, news items)
April 21(Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen
opening 6 points lower at 6,854 on Wednesday, according to
financial bookmakers, while futures FFIc1 were up 0.3% ahead
of the cash market open.
* INFLATION: British consumer price inflation rose to 0.7%
in March from 0.4% in February, reflecting higher fuel and
clothing prices, official figures showed. * QUILTER: Wealth manager Quilter QLT.L reported a 26%
year-on-year jump in total assets for the first quarter, driven
by a rebound in market sentiment because of mass vaccinations
and COVID-19 stimulus measures. * BUNZL: Bunzl Plc BNZL.L reported a rise in first-quarter
revenue, on the back of recent acquisitions and strong sales of
COVID-19-related goods, and maintained its guidance for the
year. * HUNTING: Oilfield services group Hunting Plc HTG.L said
its first-quarter earnings were in line with expectations
despite a hit to the company's Texas facilities in February when
the U.S. state faced severe cold weather. * BP: British oil major BP 's BP.L output at its projects
in Azerbaijan stood at 5.9 million tonnes in the first quarter
of the year, the Azeri energy ministry said on Wednesday.
* BHP: BHP Group Ltd BHP.AX BHPB.L said it expects
annual iron ore production at the upper end of its forecast,
although bad weather and planned maintenance at its operations
in Western Australia sent third-quarter output nearly 2% lower.
* RIO TINTO/SANTOS: Australia's No.2 independent gas
producer Santos Ltd STO.AX said it had signed a natural gas
supply deal with long-term buyer Rio Tinto RIO.AX .
* EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE: England's Premier League teams
withdrew from the European Super League on Tuesday leaving the
project in tatters just 48 hours after it was launched.
* GROCERS: The global grocery sector grew a record 10% in
2020, industry data showed, as people stuck at home under
COVID-19 restrictions cooked, baked and drank more. * ECONOMY: Households in Britain hit by COVID-19 job losses
suffered a much bigger fall in their incomes than in France and
Germany where social security is more generous and incomes are
more equal, the Resolution Foundation think-tank said.
* OIL: Oil prices fell for a second day on concerns that
soaring COVID-19 cases in India will drive down fuel demand in
the world's third biggest oil importer. * GOLD: Gold prices rose, hovering near a seven-week high
hit earlier this week, as a soggy dollar and a retreat in U.S.
Treasury yields lifted demand for the safe-haven
metal. * London's FTSE 100 ended lower on Tuesday, dragged down by
stocks of heavyweight oil companies and cigarette makers, while
Associated British Foods slipped after a downbeat first-half
earnings update. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please
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