(Adds company news items and futures)
May 13 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen
opening 64 points lower on Wednesday, according to financial
bookmakers, with futures down 0.9% ahead of cash markets open.
* BREWIN DOLPHIN: Brewin Dolphin BRW.L posted a 5.1% fall
in first-half earnings on Wednesday as the coronavirus-related
market sell-off towards the end of the period saw assets under
management (AUM) fall by 3.6 billion pounds. * SAGE GROUP: Sage Group SGE.L said it was starting to see
the broader effects of a sharp economic downturn caused by the
coronavirus pandemic, with new customer acquisition in April
roughly half the level expected, as it reported progress in its
first half. * STOCK SPIRITS: Stock Spirits STCK.L on Wednesday posted
a 25.6% jump in first-half earnings as consumers stocked up on
liquor ahead of tax hikes in its biggest markets, Poland and
Czech Republic, and said the COVID-19 crisis has not affected
its businesses as yet. * TP ICAP: TP ICAP Plc TCAPI.L , the world's largest
inter-dealer broker, saw revenue rise by almost a fifth in the
first quarter, as its broking business benefited from the
gyrations in financial markets caused by the coronavirus and
collapsing oil prices. * ASTON MARTIN: Aston Martin AML.L posted a first-quarter
pretax loss of 119 million pound ($146 million) after sales
dropped by nearly a third due to the impact of the coronavirus
outbreak and the destocking of dealers, the carmaker said on
Wednesday. * PREMIER OIL: Oil and gas producer Premier Oil PMO.L said
on Wednesday that it expects to be free cash flow neutral this
year due to weak oil prices, adding it would engage with
stakeholders over extending debt maturities and raising equity.
* RETAIL: British retail spending plunged by nearly a fifth
in April as the government's coronavirus lockdown hammered the
sector, and a broader measure of consumer spending tumbled by
more than a third, surveys showed. * HOUSING MARKET: Buyers and renters in England will be able
to move house again from Wednesday under plans set out by the
government to re-start a housing market all but frozen by
restrictions put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19.
* BHP/RIO: BHP Group BHP.AX , BHPB.L will stick with its
capital allocation framework despite the impact of the
coronavirus pandemic while Rio Tinto is eyeing M&A, the chief
executives of the miners said on Tuesday. * GOLD: Gold gained as concerns that a second wave of
coronavirus infections may be emerging in many countries weighed
on riskier assets. * OIL: Oil prices fell on worries about a possible second
wave of coronavirus cases in countries starting to ease
lockdowns, while industry data showed a rise in U.S. crude
inventories. * London's FTSE 100 closed higher for the fifth straight
session on Tuesday after strong earnings from Vodafone and
Morrisons helped outweigh fears of a potential flare-up of
COVID-19 cases as countries slowly reopen parts of their
economies. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please
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