March 20 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 58
points higher on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.
* BRITISH AIRWAYS: British Airways pilots will face a 50% pay cut to their
basic salary for April and May, as the airline seeks to reduce its cost to try
and survive the coronavirus crisis, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
* BRITISH AIRWAYS: British Airways planes could be seen parked up at
London's Heathrow Airport on Thursday, as the airline begins the process of
grounding a large part of its fleet. * ECONOMY: Britain will take further desperate measures to stem the collapse
of its economy on Friday, when finance minister Rishi Sunak will outline plans
to prop up companies and workers who face hardship from the coronavirus
outbreak. * CITY AM: London-based City AM newspaper will temporarily suspend its print
operation as the publishing industry faces the impact of the coronavirus
outbreak. * CARNIVAL: Carnival Corp CCL.N CCL.L on Thursday reported first-quarter
loss compare with a year-ago profit, hurt by canceled and disrupted trips due to
the coronavirus outbreak across the globe. * BP: Oil major BP BP.L said on Thursday it is not experiencing "any
serious disruption" to its operations due to the COVID-19 outbreak. * CORONAVIRUS: The prime ministers of Ireland and Britain agreed in a phone
call on Thursday to align in so far as possible the neighbouring countries
actions to help slow the spread of coronavirus, a spokesman for the Irish
government said. * BOE: The Bank of England promised 200 billion pounds of bond purchases and
cut its key interest rate to 0.1% in a second emergency move in just over a week
to try to mitigate the hit to Britain's economy from the coronavirus outbreak.
* GOLD: Gold prices rose 1% as safe-haven buying offset a rush for cash amid
fears over the economic hit from the coronavirus, but bullion was headed for a
second weekly drop as investors sold the metal to meet margin calls in other
assets. * COPPER: London copper prices fell sharply, erasing gains made late in the
previous session, as the coronavirus-driven sell-off resumed despite growing
economic stimulus across the globe. * OIL: U.S. crude oil prices rose over $1, extending steep gains from the
previous session, after U.S. President Donald Trump hinted he may intervene in
the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia at an "appropriate
time". * Britain's top shares ended a volatile session higher on Thursday after the
Bank of England cut interest rates to a record low and ramped up its bond-buying
programme in a bid to rescue the economy from the coronavirus crisis.
UK CORPORATE DIARY:
J D Wetherspoon JDW.L HY 2020 Earnings Release
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