Dec 2 - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 21 points lower at 6,364 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers.
BREXIT: A senior British minister said there was still a chance of a turbulent Brexit without a trade deal as talks with the European Union had snagged on fishing, governance rules and dispute resolution.
COVID-19: Parliament approved a system of regional COVID-19 restrictions for England despite a rebellion within Prime Minister Boris Johnson's own party which underlined growing unhappiness at his handling of the pandemic.
POLL: Britain's economy will contract this quarter and it will take at least two years for GDP to reach pre-COVID-19 levels, according to a Reuters poll which also found London would agree a free-trade deal with the European Union.
GOLD: Gold eased after a sharp rise in the previous session, due to uncertainty over a U.S. stimulus package, while progress in a COVID-19 vaccine development also weighed on the metal's safe-haven appeal.
OIL: Oil prices extended losses, hit by a surprise build in oil inventories in the United States and as OPEC and its allies left markets in limbo by delaying a formal meeting to decide whether to increase output in January. The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 1.9% higher on Tuesday as upbeat Chinese factory data fuelled hopes for a global economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
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