March 26 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 37
points higher at 6,712 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.
* BURBERRY: BRBY.L has lost a Chinese brand ambassador and its hallmark
tartan design was scrubbed from a popular video game, becoming the first luxury
brand assailed by the Chinese backlash to Western accusations of abuses in
Xinjiang. * ASTRAZENECA: Oxford University said on Thursday it was launching a study
to investigate immune responses of a nasal administration of its COVID-19
vaccine developed with AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) AZN.L . * KAZ MINERALS: The consortium bidding for Kaz Minerals KAZ.L is set to
increase its 3.7 billion pounds offer for the London-listed copper miner, the
Financial Times reported on Thursday. * AUTOS: British car production fell to its lowest February level since 2010
after an annual 14% drop as lockdown measures, global supply chain problems and
new customs processes hit the industry, a trade body said. * GOLD: Gold prices were on course for a first weekly decline in three as
elevated Treasury yields and a firm U.S. dollar dented safe-haven bullion's
appeal even as the metal steadied on the day. * OIL: Oil prices bounced back from a plunge a day earlier on concerns that
a large container ship that ran aground in the Suez Canal may block the vital
shipping lane for weeks. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.6% lower on Thursday on a slide in
energy and mining stocks, while concerns over renewed coronavirus lockdowns in
Europe dented optimism for a swift economic recovery. UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Smiths Group SMIN.L HY results
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