(Adds futures, news items)
Sept 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 34
points lower at 6,044 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with
futures FFIc1 seen down 1% ahead of cash market open.
* PLAYTECH: Gambling software maker Playtech PTEC.L posted lower
first-half profit, hit by store closures and sports events cancellations due to
coronavirus-led curbs. * IG GROUP: Online trading platform IG Group IGG.L reported a surge in
first-quarter revenue as the coronavirus crisis and fears of its impact on the
global economy continued to drive up volatility and trading volumes on financial
markets. * NEXT: British clothing retailer Next NXT.L raised its profit outlook for
the second time in two months as it reported strong recent trading. * ASTRAZENECA: The adverse events that led to a pause in trials evaluating
AstraZeneca Plc's AZN.L COVID-19 vaccine candidate may not have been associated
with the vaccine itself, according to a document outlining participant
information that was posted online by the Oxford University. * BOE: The Bank of England is expected to signal on Thursday that it is
getting ready to pump yet more stimulus into Britain's economy as it heads for a
jump in unemployment and a possible Brexit shock. * ROLLS-ROYCE: Britain's Rolls-Royce RR.L said on Wednesday it continued
to review funding options, including debt and equity, to boost its balance
sheet. * NATWEST: NatWest NWG.L said late on Wednesday that its digital banking
services were back up after experiencing an outage. * GOLD: Gold prices fell more than 1%, as the dollar climbed after the U.S.
Federal Reserve painted a favourable economic recovery picture but stopped short
of offering concrete signals on further stimulus. * OIL: Oil prices fell, after rising in the two previous sessions, as
concerns about weak fuel demand re-emerged after production platforms in the
southeastern United States took steps to resume output following Hurricane
Sally's passage. * EX-DIVS: Intertek Group ITRK.L will trade without entitlement to its
latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 0.2 points off the FTSE 100
according to Reuters calculations. .L/XD
* London-listed stocks slipped on Wednesday as the fraught trade talks
between Britain and the European Union remained in focus. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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