Oct 31 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 4 points
lower at 7,327 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* HSBC: HSBC 0005.HK HSBA.L on Thursday cut its best lending rate in
Hong Kong for the first time since the global financial crisis, lowering it by
12.5 basis points to 5%, effective on Friday, November 1. * LSE: Italy's Treasury needs more information from the London Stock
Exchange LSE.L about the future of MTS, an Italian electronic fixed income
trading market majority-owned by the LSE, top official Alessandro Rivera told
Reuters on Wednesday. * GOLD: Gold prices climbed on Thursday as the U.S. dollar weakened after
the Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the third time this year but
signalled its rate-cut cycle might be at a pause. * OIL: Oil prices rose on Thursday as investors banked on more economic
stimulus by China after weak PMI data, partly recovering from losses in the
previous session on a surprise build in U.S. crude stocks. * EX-DIVS: Unilever ULVR.L will trade without entitlement to its latest
dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 1.6 points off the FTSE 100 according to
Reuters calculations. * The UK blue chip index closed up 0.3% on Wednesday as a rally in
pharmaceutical stocks led by industry giants GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca
helped the FTSE 100 outshine most global peers. UK CORPORATE DIARY:
BT Group PC BT.L Q2 Earnings Release
IAG ICAG.L Q3 Earnings Release
Lloyds Banking Group LLOY.L Q3 Interim Management Statement
Smith+Nephew SN.L Q3 Trading Statement
Indivior INDV.L Q3 Earnings Release
Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L Q3 Earnings Release
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
LIVE/
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines PRESS/GB