Dec 20 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening flat at
7,574 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.
* NMC HEALTH: NMC Health Plc NMC.L said on Thursday that a report by U.S.
short-selling firm Muddy Waters earlier this week criticising the healthcare
group's financial statements was "false and mis-leading". * 3I INFRASTRUCTURE: 3i Infrastructure 3IN.L is selling its 93% stake in
Wireless Infrastructure Group (WIG) to Brookfield Infrastructure, two weeks
after divesting its British projects portfolio. * JUST EAT: Takeaway.com TKWY.AS was poised to win the battle for British
food delivery company Just Eat JE.L after it trumped a raised offer from rival
Prosus NV PRX.AS , which put it within reach of a 50% threshold needed to
clinch the deal. * OIL: Oil prices held steady near three-month highs on Friday, heading for
a third consecutive weekly rise, on the back of easing Sino-U.S. trade tensions
that have weighed on demand as well as the global economic growth outlook.
* GOLD: Gold prices inched lower on Friday in range-bound trade, pressured
by increased risk appetite on hopes of an interim Sino-U.S. deal being signed
soon, while investors awaited U.S. GDP data release for fresh cues. * The UK blue-chip index closed up 0.4% on Thursday, partly in response to a
weaker pound, which came under pressure from fears Britain may leave the
European Union without a trade deal at the end of 2020. UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Carnival Plc CCL.L Q4 Earnings Release
* 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