Oct 23 (Reuters) - Futures for Britain's FTSE 100 index (FFIc1) were seen up 0.02% ahead of cash market open on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.
British Retail: British retail sales beat expectations last month and grew for a fifth month in a row, taking total sales volumes to 5.5% above their level before the pandemic.
InterContinental Hotels: Holiday Inn-owner InterContinental Hotels (IHG.L) posted a plunge in third-quarter hotel room revenue (RevPAR), as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to ravage the travel and hospitality industry.
The London Stock Exchange: The London Stock Exchange (LSE.L) said it expects to close its $27 billion purchase of data analytics firm Refinitiv in the first quarter of 2021 and posted a 2% increase in third-quarter total income.
Barclays: Barclays (BARC.L) reported much better than expected third quarter earnings, as its consumer businesses swung back to profit and provisions against bad loans fell compared with the previous quarter.
AstraZeneca: The Peruvian government refused to sign a coronavirus vaccine purchase agreement with AstraZeneca PLC (AZN.L) because it did not provide sufficient data from its studies and offered minimal amounts of inoculations.
ITM Power: Italian gas group Snam (SRG.MI) said on Thursday it would buy a minority stake in ITM Power (ITM.L) as part of a broader agreement with the British company to help it develop its green hydrogen business.
Gold: Gold edged up on hopes that a U.S. stimulus package would eventually be passed, boosting the metal's appeal as an inflation hedge, although a stronger dollar capped gains.
Oil: Oil prices held on to gains from the previous session on Friday, after Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated he would be prepared to extend record supply cuts in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UK blue-chip index (.FTSE) closed 0.2% higher on Thursday after a positive update on AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine candidate and as UK finance minister Rishi Sunak unveiled more support for businesses hit by the pandemic.
UK corporate diary:
LSE Group Plc (LSE.L) Q3 trading statement
Barclays Plc (BARC.L) Q3 earnings
InterContinental Hotels Group Plc (IHG.L) Q3 trading statement
Airtel Africa Plc (AAF.L) HY earnings