(Adds futures, company news items)
Feb 21 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening down 2 points at 7298 on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures down 0.1 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed flat in percentage terms at 7,299.86 points after climbing to an intra-day high of 7,329.56, the highest level since the middle of January. BHP: Mining giant BHP Billiton BHP.AX BLT.L rewarded shareholders with a bigger-than-expected dividend on Tuesday, signalling its growing confidence amid a resurgence in commodity prices. Billiton said it sees a little downside risk for iron ore prices as Chinese demand moderates. HSBC: HSBC Holdings HSBA.L reported a 62 percent slump in annual pre-tax profit that fell way short of analysts' estimates due to one-time charges related to some businesses, and announced a new $1 billion share buy-back. CAPITA: Outsourcing group Capita CPI.L , under pressure from a slowdown in demand from customers, said it had written off the value of a number of historic contracts but was otherwise trading in line with the guidance it gave in December. ANGLO AMERICAN: Anglo American AAL.L reported on Tuesday a 25 percent rise in annual earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) and 34 percent fall in net debt and said it would resume dividend payments by the end of 2017. IHG: InterContinental Hotels Group Plc IHG.L , one of the world's largest hoteliers, reported a slightly better-than-expected yearly profit rise and said it would return $400 million to investors via a special dividend and share consolidation. COPPER: Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange CMCU3 traded flat at $6,071 a tonne by 0112 GMT, holding gains after a 1.9 percent rally the session before when it struck $6,105 a tonne, the strongest since Feb. 14. GOLD: Spot gold XAU= inched down 0.2 percent to $1,235.08 per ounce at 0058 GMT, while U.S. gold futures GCcv1 also fell 0.2 percent to $1,236.2. The dollar index .DXY edged up 0.1 percent to 101.09. OIL: U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 was up 27 cents, or 0.5 percent, at $53.67 a barrel at 0511 GMT, after rising about 0.5 percent in a shortened session on Monday due to a U.S. national holiday. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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