(Adds news items, futures)
Sept 12 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 37
points at 7,375 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures up
0.4% ahead of cash market open.
* LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE: Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEX)
0388.HK unveiled a $39-billion takeover approach to the London Stock Exchange
Plc (LSE) LSE.L on Wednesday that received a cool response from investors
concerned about its regulatory and financial hurdles. * CO-OP GROUP: Britain's Co-Operative Group 42TE.L , the mutually-owned
supermarkets-to-funerals group, reported a lower first-half profit, as weakness
in its funeral unit offset a strong performance in its food business.
* MORRISONS: Morrisons MRW.L , Britain's No. 4 grocer, reported its first
fall in quarterly underlying sales since 2016, partly reflecting a tough
comparison with last year when it was boosted by a hot summer. * BAT: British American Tobacco Plc BATS.L said it would lay off 2,300
employees globally by January as the world's second largest tobacco company by
sales looks to streamline its operations.
* HSBC: HSBC HSBA.L is planning to exit its French retail banking business
under interim chief executive Noel Quinn, the Wall Street Journal reported on
Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. * OIL: Oil prices jumped, bouncing back from heavy losses in the previous
session, buoyed by moves to ease trade tensions between Washington and Beijing
and a drop in U.S. crude inventories to the lowest in nearly a year. O/R
* GOLD: Gold prices fell as equities gained on improving risk sentiment
buoyed by signs of gradual de-escalation in U.S.-China trade tensions, while
investors eyed European Central Bank's meeting for cues on monetary policy
easing.
* EX-DIVS: Melrose Industries PLC MRON.L will trade without entitlement to
its latest dividend pay-out, trimming 0.3 points off the FTSE 100 according to
Reuters calculations.
* The UK blue chip index on Wednesday closed up 1% at 7338.03 points on
signs of less tension in the U.S.-China trade fight and prospects of more
stimulus from central banks, while shares in London Stock Exchange scaled a
record high after Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing's offer. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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