(Adds futures, news items)
Nov 27 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is expected to open 12
points higher at 7,415 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with
futures FFIc1 up 0.3% ahead of the cash market open.
* MARSTON'S: Pub operator Marston's Plc MARS.L reported a fall in
full-year underlying pretax profit, hurt by lower food sales, rising costs and
sluggish consumer spending. * BAT: British American Tobacco BATS.L , the world's no. 2 tobacco company
by revenue, said it expects full-year group revenue to grow in the upper half of
its 3%-5% long-term target range. * ANGLO AMERICAN: Miner Anglo American Plc AAL.L said it plans to sell a
minority stake of 12% in its Grosvenor coking coal mine in Australia for about
$141 million to a consortium of Japanese companies. * BRITVIC: Britvic Plc BVIC.L posted a 21.7% fall in annual operating
earnings, as the British soft drink company grappled with a new law in France
and wrote down the value of some assets in the country. * BHP: Incoming BHP Group BHP.AX BHPB.L Chief Executive Officer Mike
Henry said the world's biggest miner is prioritising new developments in
technology to cut costs and improve safety, including collaborations with tech
start-ups and researchers. * ON THE BEACH: Holiday package provider On The Beach OTB.L reported a 3%
rise in annual profit and said it booked a one-off charge of 25.6 million pounds
($32.84 million) due to refunds for clients affected by the collapse of Thomas
Cook TCG.L . * STM GROUP: Financial services provider STM Group STMG.L said it expects
its 2019 underlying earnings to fall by a third, as new business applications
within its pension segment were lower than originally budgeted. * HSBC: The private banking business of HSBC Holdings Plc 0005.HK HSBA.L
is aggressively pursuing double-digit growth in client assets and revenue,
riffing off a surge in Asian wealth, the unit's chief executive officer told
Reuters. * RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto Ltd RIO.AX RIO.L said it had approved a $749
million investment in its Greater Tom Price operations to help sustain
production capacity in its iron ore business in the Pilbara region of Western
Australia. * BREXIT: Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party holds an 11
point lead over the opposition Labour Party, down one point, ahead of Britain's
Dec. 12 election, according to an opinion poll published by YouGov for The Times
and Sky News on Tuesday. * GOLD: Gold prices edged lower after U.S. President Donald Trump's comments
that Washington was close to an interim trade deal with China boosted demand for
riskier assets. * OIL: Oil prices slipped after an industry report showed a surprise
build-up in U.S. crude inventories, but optimism surrounding the signing of the
first phase of a U.S.-China trade deal prevented a bigger slide in prices.
* The UK blue chip index .FTSE eked out gains on Tuesday despite an 8%
slide in catering firm Compass Group on growing hopes of a U.S.-China trade
resolution, while gains in LSE after shareholder approval for its Refinitiv deal
and a weaker sterling also provided support. TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines PRESS/GB