(Adds futures, news items)
Oct 31 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 4 points
lower at 7,327 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures
FFIc1 flat ahead of the cash market open.
* RIO: Rio Tinto RIO.L , RIO.AX has changed its exploration strategy to
consider smaller ore deposits that have growth potential, as the likelihood of
finding large, low cost mines dwindles, an executive said. Rio forecast a 5%
year-on-year rise in iron ore shipments for 2020 and also deferred $500 million
of capital expenditure in 2019 to the next year. * SHELL: Royal Dutch Shell's RDSa.L third-quarter profit dropped by 15% on
weaker oil prices but easily beat expectations thanks to a boost from oil and
liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading. * CREST NICHOLSON: Crest Nicholson Holdings Plc CRST.L updated its profit
forecast for the full year as its new chief executive officer reviews the
business and the British homebuilder's strategy to cope with Brexit.
* LLOYDS: Britain's biggest mortgage lender Lloyds Banking Group LLOY.L
posted weaker-than-expected third quarter pre-tax profits, after making a
further 1.8 billion pound ($2.33 billion) provision for mis-sold loan insurance
payouts. * SMITH+NEPHEW: Artificial hip and knee maker Smith+Nephew SN.L raised its
full-year underlying revenue growth forecast for the third time this year, less
than two weeks after appointing a new top boss. * ICAG: British Airways owner IAG ICAG.L said that it had taken a hit from
industrial action from pilots at the airline, knocking profits in its third
quarter. * BT: BT BT.L , Britain's biggest broadband provider, said it had met
earnings expectations for the first half, underpinning its target to roll out
gold standard fibre broadband to 4 million premises by March 2021. * BREXIT: Britain's opposition Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, kicks off
his election campaign on Thursday with a vow to take on Britain's "rigged
system", which he said was run by a privileged elite of tax dodgers, billionaire
owners and bad bosses. * HSBC: HSBC 0005.HK HSBA.L cut its best lending rate in Hong Kong for
the first time since the global financial crisis, lowering it by 12.5 basis
points to 5%, effective on Friday, November 1. * LSE: Italy's Treasury needs more information from the London Stock
Exchange LSE.L about the future of MTS, an Italian electronic fixed income
trading market majority-owned by the LSE, top official Alessandro Rivera told
Reuters on Wednesday. * GOLD: Gold prices climbed as the U.S. dollar weakened after the Federal
Reserve cut interest rates for the third time this year but signalled its
rate-cut cycle might be at a pause. * OIL: Oil prices rose as investors banked on more economic stimulus by
China after weak PMI data, partly recovering from losses in the previous session
on a surprise build in U.S. crude stocks. * EX-DIVS: Unilever ULVR.L will trade without entitlement to its latest
dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 1.6 points off the FTSE 100 according to
Reuters calculations. * The UK blue chip index closed up 0.3% on Wednesday as a rally in
pharmaceutical stocks led by industry giants GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca
helped the FTSE 100 outshine most global peers.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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