June 4 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 8 points lower on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* BANKS: Hong Kong-listed shares of HSBC and Standard Chartered (LON:STAN) rose after the banks backed China's imposition of a national security law on the city, even as a pro-democracy and newly formed financial workers' union criticized the move.
* CAR SALES: British car sales edged up in May after falling to their lowest since 1946 in April, but still remained almost 90% below their level a year earlier as coronavirus restrictions limited sales.
* MONZO: British digital bank Monzo is cutting up to 120 jobs, according to an internal note seen by Reuters on Wednesday, as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its business begins to bite.
* FTSE REBALANCE: Britain's FTSE Russell has confirmed that EasyJet EZJ.L and cruise operator Carnival (NYSE:CCL) CCL.L will exit Britain's top blue-chip share index .FTSE , as the value of their stock dropped below the required threshold due to the coronavirus.
* GOLD: Gold prices gained from last session's fall on lingering political tensions and a weaker dollar. GOL/
* OIL: Oil prices fell on concerns that supply will rise if major producers are unable to agree to extend the depth of output cuts that have supported recent gains. O/R
* UK shares closed at three-month highs on Wednesday as better-than-expected data from the world's two largest economies pointed to an ongoing economic recovery from the coronavirus.
* UK CORPORATE DIARY:
FY results IG Group Holdings IGG.L
Trading statement Renewi Plc RWI.L
FY results Intermediate Capital Group ICP.L
FY results Young & Co's Brewery YNGa.L
FY results
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