Nov 14 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening 17
points lower at 7,334 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* BHP: BHP Group Ltd on Thursday named its Australian head
Mike Henry to succeed Andrew Mackenzie as the miner's chief executive, shunning
calls from some investors for fresh blood from outside the Anglo Australian
giant.
* WOODFORD: Investors in British money manager Neil Woodford's flagship fund
could lose more than 1 billion pounds, four times more than had it reopened in
December, according to estimates made by his firm before the shock closure of
the fund.
* ROYAL MAIL: British postal company Royal Mail on Wednesday won a
high court injunction to stop strikes by its biggest union around the time of a
national election on Dec. 12 and in the busy run-up to Christmas.
* GOLD: Gold prices inched up on Thursday as Asian equities turned lower
after weaker-than-expected economic data out of China weighed on risk appetite,
boosting demand for safe-haven assets.
* OIL: Oil prices rose on Thursday after industry data showed a surprise
drop in U.S. crude inventories while comments from an OPEC official about
lower-than-expected U.S. shale production growth in 2020 also provided some
support for oil.
* EX-DIVS: Bunzl, GSK, Shell and Sainsbury
will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on
Thursday, trimming 15.9 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters
calculations.
* The UK blue chip index fell 0.2% lower on Wednesday as traders grew weary
of mixed trade signals from U.S. President Donald Trump and trimmed some early
losses as exporter stocks such as Diageo and AstraZeneca
benefited from a weaker pound.
* UK CORPORATE DIARY:
TBC Bank Group Full Year Earnings Release
Urban Logistics Reit Half Year Earnings Release
National Grid Half Year Earnings Release
3i Group Half Year Earnings Release
Great Portland Estates Half Year Earnings Release
Norcros Half Year Earnings Release
Tracsis Full Year Earnings Release
Premier Oil Trading and Operations Update
FirstGroup Half Year Earnings Release
Burberry Group Interim Earnings Release
Mediclinic International Half Year Earnings Release
Card Factory Q3 Trading Statement Release
Stobart Group Half Year Earnings Release
Bovis Homes Trading Statement Release
Grafton Group Trading Statement Release
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times
> Other business headlines
(Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru)
