UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Aug. 3

By Reuters / August 04, 2018 / in.investing.com / Article Link

Aug 3 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 42 points on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.

* BHP: Anglo-Australian miner BHP BHP.AX BLT.L said on Thursday it had begun to review contingency plans ahead of a possible strike by union workers at its Escondida copper mine in Chile, the world's largest. GOLD: Gold prices held steady near a one-year low on Friday amid a resilient U.S. dollar and were headed for a fourth straight weekly fall. OIL: Oil prices were steady on Friday, supported by traders placing new hedges in the futures market in anticipation of a decline in U.S. crude inventories, but held back from advancing by the prospect of rising global supplies. The UK blue chip index closed down 1 percent at 7,575.93 points on Thursday and touched a one-week low as shares in heavyweight cyclicals dropped and Bank of England raised interest rates as expected. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets

* UK CORPORATE DIARY: Mondi PLC

MNDI.L

Half Year Earnings Cobham PLC

COB.L

Half Year Earnings Millennium & Copthorne Hotels PLC

MLC.L

Half Year Earnings Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC

RBS.L

Half Year Earnings William Hill PLC

WMH.L

Half Year Earnings Essentra PLC

ESNT.L