April 13 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is
seen opening 10 points higher at 6,899 on Tuesday, according to
financial bookmakers.
* CONSUMERS: British high street retailers reported higher
spending in March compared with both a year earlier and before
the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, ahead of a reopening of
non-essential stores in April. * COVID-19 VARIANT: A highly contagious variant of COVID-19
first identified in Britain does not cause more severe disease
in hospitalised patients, according to a new study published in
the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases on Monday.
* GREENSILL: Britain's government has opened an independent
investigation into failed finance company Greensill Capital
after lobbying by former Prime Minister David Cameron raised
questions over its access to ministers. * HSBC: HSBC HSBA.L has banned customers of its online
share-trading platform from buying or moving into their accounts
MicroStrategy Inc MSTR.O stock, a message seen by Reuters
showed, calling it a "virtual currency product". * COPPER: Copper prices fell, as increasing inventories in
global exchanges signalled a weaker-than-expected demand pickup
in top consumer China in its traditionally strong season.
* GOLD: Gold prices were flat as market participants kept to
the sidelines ahead of U.S. inflation data that is expected to
shed more light on recovery in the world's largest economy.
* OIL: Oil prices climbed as data from China showed the
world's second largest oil consumer's import growth surging and
on tensions in the Middle East after the Yemen-based Houthi
movement said it fired missiles on Saudi oil sites. * London's FTSE 100 ended lower on Monday, as heavyweight
mining stocks slipped amid a drop in metal prices and a stronger
pound weighed on the export-heavy index. UK CORPORATE DIARY:
JD Sports JD.L FY results
Electrocomponents ECM.L Trading update
Plus500 PLUSP.L Q1 trading update
* 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