(Adds company news items, futures)
Aug 21 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is expected to open 3
points higher at 7,120 on Wednesday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.2% ahead of the
cash market open.
* GULF MARINE SERVICES: Offshore oilfield services contractor Gulf Marine
Services Plc's GMS.L Chief Executive Officer Duncan Anderson has resigned, the
company said on Wednesday, as it warned that a reassessment of its ships and
contracts had shown annual profit would fall short of previous expectations and
be lower than 2018.
* ONESAVINGS: Lender OneSavings OSBO.L , which is merging with rival
Charter Court Financial CCFS.L , reported a higher first-half underlying profit,
thanks to a strong loan book, though net interest margin shrank further amid
pricing pressure. * ASTRAZENECA: London-listed drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc AZN.L said its
immunotherapy treatment Imfinzi did not meet the main goal of a late-stage study
for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. * INCHCAPE: Car dealership chain Inchcape Plc INCH.L appointed former
Unilever ULVR.L executive Gijsbert de Zoeten as chief financial officer in
place of Richard Howes. * HAMMERSON: Shopping centre operator Hammerson Plc HMSO.L appointed AIG
AIG.N executive James Lenton as its new finance chief, months after saying
Timon Drakesmith would step down from the role this year. * RYANAIR: Belgium's CNE and ACV PULS trade unions have told members not to
comply with a Ryanair RYA.I request to staff flights affected by a planned
strike by Portuguese crew from Wednesday, a letter sent to the airline seen by
Reuters showed. * OIL: Brent crude oil futures rose above $60 a barrel for the first time in
over a week after a data report showed a larger-than-expected drop in U.S. crude
inventories, but ongoing worries about a possible global recession capped gains.
* GOLD: Gold prices held steady after recovering to above the key $1,500 an
ounce level in the previous session, with investors waiting for the minutes of
the Federal Reserve's July meeting for possible clues on further U.S. interest
rate cuts. * MINERS: Iron ore futures in China sank to their lowest in 10 weeks on
Wednesday, extending losses along with coke, after mining giant BHP Group
BHPB.L gave a downbeat outlook for steelmaking raw material prices.
* London's main index ended firmly in the red on Tuesday after new
U.S.-China trade jitters and political instability in Italy took down
heavyweight firms across sectors, while exporter stocks dipped as the pound
gained after German Chancellor Angela Merkel's comments on the Brexit process.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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