May 29 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen
opening 52 points lower on Friday, according to financial
bookmakers.
* ECONOMY: British business confidence fell to its lowest
since the 2008 financial crisis in May, according to a survey
for Lloyds Bank which contrasts with other surveys which have
shown a small improvement since the initial shock of the
coronavirus lockdown. * AUTOMOBILE: British car production could slump this year
to the lowest level in decades after the coronavirus pandemic
forced factories to close and hit demand, according to an
industry body. * ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca's AZN.L top-selling drug
Tagrisso has been shown to hold back a certain type of lung
cancer when diagnosed at an early stage, the British drugmaker
said on Thursday, potentially adding billions to its sales
potential. * NMC: Joint administrators for Dubai-based NMC Health said
on Thursday that the most likely exit option for the company was
either dissolution or liquidation. * GOLD: Gold inched up and was on track for its second
monthly gain as deteriorating U.S.-China ties in a world reeling
from the coronavirus pandemic rattled investors and fuelled
demand for the safe-haven metal. * OIL: Oil prices edged lower after U.S. inventory data
showed lacklustre fuel demand in the world's largest oil
consumer while worsening U.S.-China tensions weighed on global
financial markets. * UK shares ended higher on Thursday, helped by drugmakers
AstraZeneca and GSK as markets looked for more progress in the
development of a COVID-19 vaccine, while optimism over the
reopening of the economy persisted. UK CORPORATE DIARY:
SIG SHI.L FY Results
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please
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