Aug 21 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening 9 points higher at 6,023 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures (FFIc1) down 0.09% ahead of cash market open.
RELX: European information group Relx (REL.L) has agreed to buy Britain's SciBite, a provider of big data analytics in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, as part of its drive towards more digital analysis.
GOLD: Gold prices rose on Friday after bleak U.S. jobless claims data reinforced fears of a slower recovery from the coronavirus-induced economic crisis, denting the dollar and U.S. Treasury yields.
OIL: Oil prices rose in early trade on Friday, on track for a third straight week of gains, buoyed by major oil producers' efforts to hold back output amid concerns about the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
METALS: Shanghai aluminium futures hit its highest in more than two years on expectations of better demand in coming months as China, the world's top consumer of the metal, enters its peak season when construction activity is expected to pick up.
The UK blue-chip index (.FTSE) ended down 1.6% on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve struck a cautious note over the U.S. economic recovery, while several big companies going ex-dividend added to pressure on the bluechip index.