(Adds company news items and futures)
Aug 8 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen
opening up 21 points at 7,220 on Thursday, according to
financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 up 1% ahead of the
cash market open.
* HARGREAVES LANSDOWN: British fund supermarket Hargreaves
Lansdown HRGV.L on Thursday posted a 8.4% increase in
full-year assets, boosted by an increase in its client base and
net inflows of cash. * AVIVA: British life and general insurer Aviva AV.L said
on Thursday it was reviewing its Asia business as it posted a
forecast-beating 1% rise in first-half operating profit.
* COCA COLA HBC: Swiss-based soft drink bottler Coca Cola
HBC AG CCH.L reported a rise in first-half net sales on
Thursday, driven by greater demand in Nigeria and other emerging
markets in eastern Europe along with warm weather in the second
half of June. * HASTINGS: Hastings HSTG.L on Thursday posted first-half
profit that more than halved, as the British insurer set aside
more money for claims after a government-ordered change in the
discount rate used to calculate compensation for personal
injuries. * SAVILLS: Real estate services provider Savills Plc SVS.L
on Thursday posted lower pretax profit for the first half, as
uncertainty due to the U.S.-China trade dispute and Brexit hit
its earnings from Asia and the UK, respectively. * BELLWAY: British housebuilder Bellway Plc BWY.L forecast
higher annual housing revenue on Thursday, as it sold more
affordable homes at higher prices. * CO-OP BANK: Britain's Co-operative Bank narrowed its
losses in the first half of 2019, but warned its profitability
was under strain due to intense competition in the mortgage
market. * RYANAIR: Members of Ryanair's RYA.I British pilot union
voted on Wednesday in favour of strike action later this month
in a dispute over working conditions, the British Airline Pilots
Association (BALPA) said. * DEBENHAMS: British department store group Debenhams will
appoint Stefaan Vansteenkiste as its new chief executive
officer, while Terry Duddy will step down as chairman in
September, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on
Wednesday.
* OIL: Oil futures jumped more than $1 a barrel on Thursday,
recovering half of the nearly 5% losses in the previous session,
on expectations that lower prices may lead to production cuts.
* GOLD: Gold prices rose again on Thursday after topping the
$1,500 mark in the previous session, as central banks around the
world slashed interest rates amidst fears of a global recession.
* EX-DIVS: Astrazeneca AZN.L , Barclays BARC.L , BP
BP.L , BT Group BT.L , Diageo DGE.L , Direct Line DLGD.L ,
Fresnillo FRES.L , Glaxosmithkline GSK.L , Hiscox HSX.L ,
Informa INF.L , Lloyds Bank Group LLOY.L , Rio Tinto RIO.L ,
Rentokil Initial RTO.L , Standard Chartered Bank STAN.L ,
Unilever ULVR.L will trade without entitlement to its latest
dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 37.7 points off the FTSE
100, according to Reuters calculations.
* The UK blue-chip index closed up 0.4% higher at 7,198.70
as investors composed themselves after sell-offs triggered by
worries over the U.S.-China trade dispute and a weaker sterling
supported exporter stocks.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please
click on: LIVE/
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