UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Feb. 20

By Reuters / February 20, 2017 / in.investing.com / Article Link

(Adds futures, company news items)

Feb 20 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 11 points at 7,310 on Monday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures 0.3 percent higher ahead of the cash market open.

* The benchmark FTSE 100 .FTSE index finished 0.3 percent higher on Friday and gained 0.6 percent for the week. The index, dominated by companies that trade internationally, was also supported by weakness in sterling after a drop in British retail sales for January. KRAFT HEINZ/UNILEVER: U.S. food company Kraft Heinz Co KHC.O withdrew its proposal for a $143-billion merger with larger rival Unilever Plc ULVR.L , the companies said on Sunday, raising questions about whether Kraft will turn its focus to another target. BOVIS HOMES: British housebuilder Bovis Homes BVS.L , whose boss left in January just days after the firm warned it would not meet market expectations, said its full-year pretax profit fell in 2016 and it will build fewer homes this year. RBS: Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc RBS.L said on Friday it had proposed abandoning the planned sale of its Williams & Glyn unit after a seven-year struggle to sell the small business lender to meet European Union state aid demands. OIL: Oil prices held steady on Monday as investors gauged whether an increase in U.S. drilling rigs and record stockpiles would undermine efforts by producers to cut output and bring the market into balance. LCOc1

* COPPER: London copper edged up on Monday to stay near the key level of $6,000 per tonne, buoyed by supply worries after the world's second-biggest copper mine in Indonesia said it could not deliver promised shipments due to export permit issues. CMCu3

* GOLD: Gold prices held steady on Monday, with investors looking ahead to a clutch of speeches from U.S. Federal Reserve officials later in the week for clues on the timing of possible interest rate hikes. XAU=

* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets

* UK CORPORATE DIARY: Hammerson Plc

HMSO.L

Full Year 2016 Earnings Bovis Homes Group Plc

BVS.L

Full Year 2016 Earnings Gemfields Plc

GEM.L

Half Year 2017 Earnings BGEO Group Plc

BGEO.L

Q4 2016 Earnings

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times