Aug 28 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen
opening higher on Friday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.4%.
* COVID-19: Britain said it will back three nationwide
COVID-19 studies with 8.4 million pounds ($11 million) to fund
research into understanding human immune responses to the
coronavirus. * BUSINESS CONFIDENCE: British business confidence has
ticked up but remains far below usual levels as the economy
struggles to cope with social distancing and employers are
preparing to cut jobs, a survey showed. * SHELL: Royal Dutch Shell Plc RDSa.L on Thursday said
there were only minimal operational impact at its
318,000-barrel-per-day Deer Park, Texas facility due to
Hurricane Laura. * METALS: Copper rose after the U.S. Federal Reserve said it
would promote higher inflation, a move that could weaken the
dollar and make greenback-priced commodities more attractive.
* OIL: Oil prices fell as a massive storm raced inland past
the heart of the U.S. oil industry in Louisiana and Texas
without causing any widespread damage to refineries.
* London stocks ended Thursday on the back foot as earnings
updates from firms like Rolls-Royce underlined the extent of
corporate damage inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic, while
Federal Reserve Chief Jerome Powell's speech brought few
surprises. UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Essentra Plc ESNT.L HY results
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