Dec 4 - Futures for Britain's FTSE 100 index FFIc1 were 0.4% higher on
Friday.
* BREXIT: The European Union and Britain talked into late on Thursday to try
to secure a Brexit trade deal, with an EU official saying an agreement was
closer than ever but a UK government source warning chances for a breakthrough
were receding. * ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca AZN.L and Oxford University have given
conflicting accounts of how they came upon the most effective dosing pattern for
their COVID-19 vaccine, a rare instance of public dissension between major
institutions collaborating on a pivotal project. * COVID-19: Britain on Thursday said it will add COVID-19 vaccines to an
existing scheme to cover liabilities from any potential severe side-effects of
the shots, a day after it became the first Western country to approve a vaccine
against the illness which has created global havoc. * COVID-19: England announced new quarantine exemptions for "high-value"
business travellers, performing arts professionals, journalists and certain
others, meaning that if they meet certain conditions they will not have to
self-isolate on arrival in the country. * GOLD: Gold prices firmed, set for their first weekly gain in four, as
growing optimism over a U.S. fiscal stimulus deal pressured the dollar and
boosted the metal's appeal as an inflation hedge. * OIL: Oil prices rose heading for a fifth week of gains, after major
producers agreed to continue to restrain production to cope with coronavirus-hit
demand but the compromise fell short of expectations. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.4% higher on Thursday as investors
hoped for a trade deal with the European Union before a year-end deadline, while
miners rose as iron ore prices hit a record high. UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Berkeley Group Holdings Plc BKGH.L HY earnings
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