(Updates futures, adds news items)
April 15 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is
seen opening higher on Thursday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.3%.
* DELIVEROO: Deliveroo ROO.L said its orders more than
doubled in the Jan-to-March quarter in its first trading update
since its highly-anticipated listing in London last month
flopped. * ENTAIN: Entain ENT.L reported a drop in total net gaming
revenue for the first quarter, as a hit from pandemic-led shop
closures outweighed a bump in online betting during coronavirus
lockdowns. * THE HUT GROUP: The Hut Group Plc THG.L posted higher
full-year underlying operating profit, boosted by a surge in
demand for its beauty and sports nutrition products due to
lockdowns. * WIZZ AIR: Wizz Air WIZZ.L forecast that flying would
only recover gradually into late summer, as the travel industry
enters a second year of pandemic restrictions. * NAKED WINES: Naked Wines WINEW.L reported
better-than-expected annual sales growth of about 68% as the
online wine seller benefited from a surge in orders during the
lockdowns, especially in the United States. * VACCINE: Denmark on Wednesday became the first country to
stop using AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN)'s AZN.L COVID-19 vaccine altogether
over a potential link to a rare but serious form of blood clot.
* GREENSIL: A British parliamentary committee said it will
launch an inquiry into the failure of Greensill Capital and how
the finance ministry responded to lobbying efforts which were
made on behalf of the firm by former prime minister David
Cameron. * COPPER: London copper prices fell as an extended rise in
inventories in the London Metal Exchange pressured prices.
* GOLD: Gold prices edged higher buoyed by a weaker dollar,
while investors awaited U.S. weekly jobless claims and March
retail sales data for further clarity on the recovery in the
world's largest economy. * GOLD: Oil prices were steady holding around one-month
highs after they surged nearly 5% in the previous session after
the International Energy Agency (IEA) and OPEC raised forecasts
for oil demand as major economies recover from the
pandemic. * British shares ended higher on Wednesday, helped by gains
in heavyweight energy and travel stocks, while Tesco slipped to
the bottom of the index after reporting a 20% drop in full-year
pretax profit. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please
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