UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Feb. 18

(Adds company news items, futures)
Feb 18 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening two
points higher at 6,713 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with
futures down 0.12% ahead of cash market open.

* BARCLAYS: Barclays BARC.L has resumed shareholder payouts after a
year-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, setting expectations other
British lenders will follow suit when they report full year earnings in the next
few days. * HOCHSCHILD MINING: Hochschild Mining HOCM.L posted a 21% drop in
full-year core earnings as a run of pandemic-driven production roadblocks wiped
out the boost from higher gold prices. * SMITH+NEPHEW: Smith+Nephew SN.L warned the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic is likely to continue into the first half of 2021 and that it was
uncertain on the timing of recovery. * HAYS: Hays HAYS.L said it had identified 150 million pounds of surplus
capital that it planned to return to shareholders as special
dividends. * INDIVIOR: Indivior INDV.L predicted 2021 revenue would slip on a
difficult first-half after reporting an 18% fall in annual sales. * MOONPIG: Moonpig MOONM.L said it expects full-year revenue to almost
double, helped by robust demand for its services during the COVID-19
pandemic. * GOLD: Gold prices clawed back from the previous session's 2-1/2-month low,
as a retreat in U.S. Treasury yields lifted 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. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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