Feb 19 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 23
points lower at 6,594 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.
* SIGNATURE AVIATION: Carlyle Investment Management said on Thursday it
would not make an offer for Signature Aviation SIGSI.L , a day after the
private equity firm's unit bought the British firm's engine repairs
business. * RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto RIO.AX RIO.L is willing to enter a new agreement
with Mongolia to expand its Oyu Tolgoi mine as the government requested, two
sources with direct knowledge told Reuters on Thursday, as both parties look to
resolve an impasse over the multibillion-dollar project. * DAILY MAIL: The owner of Britain's Daily Mail DMGOa.L newspaper said on
Thursday that it has agreed to sell its EdTech business, Hobsons, in two
separate transactions, for a total of about $410 million. * CONSUMER SENTIMENT: British consumers are their most confident since the
COVID-19 pandemic struck almost a year ago, buoyed by hopes that the country's
fast COVID-19 vaccinations programme will boost the economy, a survey
showed. * GOLD: Gold prices fell to their lowest in more than seven months, as
rising U.S. Treasury yields eroded the non-yielding bullion's
appeal. * OIL: Oil prices slid by up to 2% in early trade, on worries that
refineries will take time to resume operations after the big freeze in the U.S.
South, creating a gap in demand. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 1.4% lower on Thursday as a set of
glum earnings reports underscored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, while a
stronger pound also weighed on the export-heavy index. UK CORPORATE DIARY:
SEGRO Plc SGRO.L FY results
TBC Bank Group Plc TBCG.L FY results
Natwest Group Plc NWG.L FY result
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