(Adds company news items and futures)
Oct 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 2
points to 7,170 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures up
0.23% ahead of cash markets open.
* WH SMITH: WH Smith Plc SMWH.L on Thursday reported a 7% increase in
annual pretax profit and said it would buy Marshall Retail Group for about $400
million to expand internationally. * GRAFTON GROUP: The Building materials distributor GFTU_u.L warned on
Thursday that its annual profit would be below market expectations, due to weak
consumer demand in the UK and delays in new construction permits in
Netherlands. * UNILEVER: The Consumer goods giant ULVR.L , the maker of Knorr soups and
Dove soap, reported weaker-than-expected third quarter sales, blaming softer
demand in India and a slowdown in China, two of its biggest emerging
markets. * ASTRAZENECA: The Drugmaker AZN.L said on Thursday its experimental
breast cancer treatment will get a speedy review by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, with a decision by the health regulator expected in the second
quarter of next year. * DOMINO'S PIZZA: Britain's biggest pizza delivery company DOM.L , said on
Thursday it will exit its international markets, where it has been facing
mounting losses. * ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND: Royal Bank of Scotland RBS.L has increased its
Brexit support fund for small businesses by 2.2 billion pounds to 8.2 billion
pounds ($10.5 billion), after identifying several thousand customers who may be
impacted by Britain's departure. * OIL: Oil prices eased on Thursday after industry data showed a
larger-than-expected build-up in stocks in the United States, although losses
were limited by comments by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on a
U.S.-China trade deal. * GOLD: Gold prices eased on Thursday and held below the $1,490 an ounce
level, as traders refrained from making any big bets in the absence of fresh
developments on the Sino-U.S. trade war front and Brexit
negotiations. * EX-DIVS: Bae Systems, Smiths Group will trade without entitlement to its
latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 1.7 points off the FTSE 100
according to Reuters calculations. * Britain's mid-cap stocks index FTSE 250 .FTMC cut its losses from the
morning on Wednesday and was last down marginally. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
LIVE/
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines PRESS/GB