Aug 22 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen to opening 29
points lower at 7,175
on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO: Four dominant e-cigarette makers including a
unit of British American Tobacco BATS.L face a probe into the health impacts
of their products, as the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee asked on
Wednesday about the firms' research and marketing practices. * RYAN AIR: Ryanair RYA.I can still avoid a planned strike by British
pilots this week if it agrees to a new framework for talks, the chief of UK
pilot union BALPA said on Wednesday. * Britain and South Korea will sign a continuity Free Trade Agreement on
Thursday to allow businesses to keep trading freely after Brexit at the end of
October, the British government said. * Major British employers gave average pay rises of 2.6% to staff in the
three months to July, the highest pace of increase in more than 10 years, data
from industry consultants XpertHR showed on Thursday. * HSBC: HSBC Holdings Plc HSBA.L is considering a bid for Asian operations
being sold by Aviva Plc AV.L , according to a Bloomberg report. https://bloom.bg/33Z5IZk
* EX-DIVS: Berkeley Group BKGH.L , Carnival CCL.L , Croda
International CRDA.L , Imperial Brands IMB.L , London Stock Exchange LSE.L ,
Prudential PRU.L , Reckitt Benckiser RB.L and Schroders Plc SDR.L will
trade without entitlement to its latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming
5.7 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations. L/XD
* London's FTSE 100 rose 1.1% on Wednesday as oil majors tracked gains in
crude prices and exporters benefitted from a weaker pound, while markets waited
for minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve's July meeting for signs of further
policy easing. * GOLD: Gold prices were little changed on Thursday, holding above the key
$1,500 an ounce level, as investors awaited the Federal Reserve chair's speech
at a global central bankers' conclave for clues on future U.S. interest rate
cuts. * OIL: Oil prices slipped on Thursday, paring earlier gains, weighed down by
lingering worries about the global economy and bigger-than-expected builds in
oil product inventories in the United States, the world's biggest oil consumer.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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* UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Antofagasta ANTO.L Half Year Earnings Release
NMC Health NMC.L Half Year Earnings Release
Playtech PTEC.L Half Year Earnings Release
Premier Oil PMO.L Half Year Earnings Release
Laura Ashley ALY.L Half Year Earnings Release
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
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