(Adds futures, news items)
Aug 21 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 9 points
higher at 6,023 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures
FFIc1 down 0.09% ahead of cash market open.
* RELX: European information group Relx REL.L has agreed to buy Britain's
SciBite, a provider of big data analytics in the pharmaceutical and healthcare
industries, as part of its drive towards more digital analysis. * GOLD: Gold prices rose after bleak U.S. jobless claims data reinforced
fears of a slower recovery from the coronavirus-induced economic crisis, denting
the dollar and U.S. Treasury yields. * OIL: Oil prices rose in early trade, on track for a third straight week of
gains, buoyed by major oil producers' efforts to hold back output amid concerns
about the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. * METALS: Shanghai aluminium futures hit its highest in more than two years
on expectations of better demand in coming months as China, the world's top
consumer of the metal, enters its peak season when construction activity is
expected to pick up. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE ended down 1.6% on Thursday after the U.S.
Federal Reserve struck a cautious note over the U.S. economic recovery, while
several big companies going ex-dividend added to pressure on the bluechip index.
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