Jan 7 - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening 7 points higher at
6,845 on Monday, according to financial bookmakers.
* CONTOURGLOBAL: Mexican petrochemical company Alpek, a unit of
conglomerate Alfa , said on Sunday it had agreed to sell two
cogeneration energy plants to a subsidiary of London-listed power generator
ContourGlobal for $801 million.
* MORRISONS: Britain's No. 4 supermarket chain Morrisons is cutting
prices on nearly a thousand products, it said on Monday, firing the first salvo
of the new year in the country's fiercely competitive grocery sector.
* MARKS & SPENCER: Britain's Marks & Spencer is expected to report
another fall in underlying sales in both clothing and food in its Christmas
quarter, while the major grocers are forecast to show a slowdown in growth as
the discounters march on.
* GOLD: Gold rose on Monday, helped by a weaker dollar on expectations that
the U.S. Federal Reserve might apply brakes on its monetary tightening cycle in
2019, although an improved risk appetite limited gains for the safe haven metal.
* OIL: Oil prices rose by more than 1 percent on Monday, lifted by optimism
that talks could soon resolve the trade war between the United States and China,
while supply cuts by major producers also supported the market.
* The UK blue chip index closed 2.2 percent higher at 6837.42 on Friday,
help by positive U.S. jobs data and news of a new round of talks between Beijing
and Washington that raised hopes of a resolution to their protracted trade spat.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
* UK CORPORATE DIARY:
MJ Gleeson Plc GLE.L Trading statement
Mattioli Woods Plc MTW.L Trading statement
Big Yellow Group Plc BYG.L Q3 Trading update
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times
> Other business headlines
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(Reporting by Karina Dsouza in Bengaluru)
