(Adds company news items, futures)
Nov 5 - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 2 points lower at
5,581 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures up 0.32%
ahead of cash market open.
* ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca AZN.L , the British drugmaker working on one of
the world's leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates, beat third-quarter sales
estimates on strong demand for its diverse portfolio of drugs during COVID-19
pandemic lockdowns and maintained its 2020 forecasts. * WIZZ AIR: Wizz Air WIZZ.L said revenue plunged 72% in the six months
ended September as passenger numbers shrunk during the pandemic, and forecast a
challenging winter as restrictions continue. * RSA: British insurer RSA RSA.L said its underwriting profit rose
strongly in the first nine months of 2020 due to improvements it had made to its
underwriting strategy, despite the impact of the pandemic. * LANCASHIRE: Insurer Lancashire LRE.L estimated catastrophe losses to be
in the range of $65 million to $75 million for the third quarter, but kept its
expectation for coronavirus-linked losses unchanged. * SUPERDRY: Britain's Superdry SDRY.L posted lower first-half revenue with
coronavirus-led measures hitting traffic in stores, while the fashion retailer
prepares to shut its stores for a second national lockdown in
England. * INCHCAPE: Auto distributor Inchcape INCH.L said it expects its second
half to be ahead of market view after a better-than-expected third quarter,
helped by pent-up demand for new and used cars after the first wave of
corornavirus-led lockdowns. * GOLD: Gold firmed as investors were cautiously optimistic Democrat Joe
Biden would edge past President Donald Trump in a tight race to the White House,
boosting the likelihood of more economic stimulus. * OIL: Oil dropped as Democrat Joe Biden edged closer to the White House but
the Republicans look likely to retain Senate control, decreasing the chances of
any huge COVID-19 relief package. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 1.7% higher on Wednesday as a weaker
pound boosted shares of exporters, although investors remained cautious on
prospects of a contested outcome to the U.S. presidential elections. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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