(Adds company news, futures)March 5 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE futures FFIc1 were flat ahead of thecash market open.* Tesco-Booker: Tesco TSCO.L , Britain's biggest retailer, has completedthe 4 billion pound ($5.51 billion) takeover of Booker BOK.L , the country'slargest wholesaler, the companies said on Monday. Ultra Electronics: British defence contractor Ultra Electronics ULE.L said it term...Read More

March 5 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 27points higher on Monday, according to financial bookmakers.* ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND:Britain's Royal Bank of Scotland RBS.L could reach a multi billion-dollarsettlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) over its mis-selling oftoxic mortgage-backed securities within weeks, Sky News reported on Friday,citing sources. RBS dec...Read More

Investing.com - Gold prices rose on Friday, rebounding from the lowest levels of the year as the prospect of a global trade war pressured the dollar lower and boosted safe haven demand for the precious metal.Gold futures for April delivery settled up 1.42% at $1,323.70 on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. For the week, prices were still down 0.52%, their second consecutive we...Read More

(Adds new company news items, updates items and futures)March 2 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 60points lower at 7,115 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 down 0.45 percent ahead of the cash market open.* LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE GROUP: London Stock Exchange Group LSE.L reporteda 47 percent rise in full-year operating profit on Friday as its...Read More

March 2 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 60points lower at 7,115 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.* ANTOFAGASTA: The main union of Chile's Los Pelambres copper mine, a unitof the local group Antofagasta ANTO.L , will vote next week on a new contractits members have not yet received and which could lead to a strike if theyrefuse, a union leader told Reuters o...Read More

Investing.com – Gold prices hovered around breakeven Thursday as safe-haven demand returned as traders feared the prospect of a global trade war after President Donald Trump said the U.S. will impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports as early as next week.Gold futures for April delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose by $0.90, or 0.06%, to $1,318.60 a tro...Read More

Investing.com - Gold prices edged lower on Friday and posted its worst week since early December as the dollar extended a recovery from three year lows.Gold futures for April delivery settled down 0.17% at $1,330.50 on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. For the week, prices were down 1.91%.A stronger dollar makes gold more expensive for overseas buyers. The U.S. dollar index,...Read More

* Euro stocks flat, MSCI world sees 3rd weekly fall in last 4* Dollar higher vs majors, DXY up 1 percent for the week* Seventh weekly rise in U.S. yields in last eight* Gold heading for biggest weekly drop since December* Russia waits on S&P investment grade rating decisionBy Marc JonesLONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - A stronger dollar and slightly higher global borrowing costs kept world shares sub...Read More

(Adds company news and futures)Feb 23 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE futures FFIc1 up 0.03 percent ahead of the cash market open.* WILLIAM HILL: British bookmaker William Hill WMH.L posted an 11 percent increase in annual pretax profit, led by growth in its online business and payout gains from more draws being played on Boxing Day English Premier League soccer games. PHOENIX/STANDARD LIFE: Phoenix...Read More

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 11 points lower at 7,241.4 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.* TEMENOS/FIDESSA: Temenos's TEMN.S planned 1.4 billion pound ($1.95 billion) takeover of financial software peer Fidessa Group FDSA.L will enable faster sales growth at the British company, Temenos Chief Executive David Arnott told Reuters on Thursday. STOBAR...Read More

* CEO says focus is on productivity* Major miners have reported increased cash, reduced debt* Stronger South African rand creates headwind (Adds detail on Quellaveco, diamonds, update share price)By Barbara LewisLONDON, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Anglo American AAL.L said on Thursday annual earnings rose 45 percent and net debt halved as the miner recovered from a commodities slump, but its share rally...Read More

(Adds company news and futures)Feb 21 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE futures FFIc1 were down 0.06 percent ahead of the cash market open.* METRO BANK: British lender Metro Bank MTRO.L reported its first annual profit on Wednesday, driven by strong growth in residential mortgages and commercial lending. HOCHSCHILD: Hochschild Mining Plc HOCM.L expects production to double this year as it ramps up outp...Read More

Feb 21 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 5 points lower at 7,241.9 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers.* LLOYDS BANKING: Lloyds Banking Group Plc LLOY.L is set to unveil a 1 billion pound ($1.40 billion) share buyback plan and its three-year strategy, Sky News reported. ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND: Britain lawmakers said on Tuesday they have published in full a repo...Read More

(Adds company news and futures)Feb 20 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen to open 8 points higher at 7,256.1 on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 up 0.15 percent ahead of the cash market open.* SPORTS DIRECT: British sportswear retailer Sports Direct SPD.L plans to buy back up to 100 million pounds ($139.7 million) of its equity as it seeks to further...Read More

Feb 20 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen to open 8 points higher at 7,256.1 on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers.* HSBC HOLDINGS: HSBC Holdings ' HSBA.L 2017 pre-tax profit rose 142 percent as the lender avoided the multi-billion dollar restructuring costs that marred its 2016 results but the profit growth lagged expectations as it took a writedown following U.S. tax cha...Read More

Investing.com - Gold prices pulled back from three-week highs on Friday as the dollar rebounded against a currency basket, but losses were held in check as the dollar remained near multi-year lows.Gold futures for April delivery settled down 0.41% at $1,349.70 on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange after hitting the highest level since January 25 at $1,364.40 earlier.For the wee...Read More

(Adds company news and futures)Feb 16 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 30 points higher at 7,264.8 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 up 0.48 percent ahead of the cash market open.* BGEO: Georgia's BGEO Group Plc BGEO.L , which is planning to split its banking and investment businesses, reported an 8.1 percent rise in full-year profit. BALFOU...Read More

Feb 16 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 30 points higher at 7,264.8 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.* VIRGIN MONEY: Virgin Money VM.L formed a rare female chair and chief executive team among Britain's top 350 listed companies by hiring former HSBC HSBA.L executive Irene Dorner as chairwoman. TULLOW OIL: British oil firm Tullow oil TLW.L has picked electrical...Read More

Feb 16 (Reuters) - Stock MarketsNet ChngStock MarketsNet Chng S&P/ASX 200** 5,909.00067.800NZX 50**8,063.334.530 DJIA**25,200.37306.88NIKKEI**21,464.98310.81 Nasdaq**7,256.430112.815FTSE**7,234.8120.84 S&P 500**2,731.2032.57Hang Seng**31,115.43599.83 SPI 200 Fut5,88220.00STI**3,443.5140.65 SSEC**3,199.1589014.20020KOSPI**2,421.8326.64 -------------------------------------------------------...Read More

(Adds company news and futures)Feb 15 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 35 points higher at 7,248.8 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 up 0.60 percent ahead of the cash market open.* CONVATEC: British medical devices firm ConvaTec CTEC.L said 2017 profit fell 3.3 percent, bogged down by supply issues at its top two divisions and lower sales...Read More