Oct 8 - Britain's FTSE 100 (.FTSE) index is seen opening 13 points higher at 5,959 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures up 0.29% ahead of cash market open.
CMC Markets: CMC Markets (CMCX.L) said its annual net operating income would be towards the upper end of the current market consensus, as trading on its online platform benefited from this year's coronavirus-driven market volatility.
EasyJet: British airline easyJet (EZJ.L) warned it would report an annual loss of as much as 845 million pounds, its first ever, and said it kept its finances under review as the pandemic meant it was only flying 25% of planned capacity.
Hargreaves Lansdown: British fund supermarket Hargreaves Lansdown (HRGV.L) said it took in 800 million pounds of net new business in the quarter to Sept. 30, despite what it described as weakening investor sentiment arising from COVID-19 and fresh Brexit uncertainty.
Home REIT: Home REIT, a vehicle for investing in properties that provide accommodation to homeless people, said on Thursday it has raised 240.6 million pounds from its initial public offering.
GVC Holdings: Ladbrokes (LON:LCL) and bwin owner GVC Holdings (GVC.L) raised its outlook for annual core earnings after posting a 12% rise in third-quarter revenue, helped by a surge in online gaming and as sports events such as the English Premier League resumed.
Robert Walters: British recruiting firm Robert Walters Plc (RWA.L) reported a 31% fall in third-quarter net fee income on Thursday, as it continued to tussle with a hiring slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while it reinstated its interim dividend.
AstraZeneca: AstraZeneca (AZN.L) could start profiting from its COVID-19 vaccine as soon as July next year, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing a memo showing the British drugmaker can declare when it considers the pandemic to have ended.
British Airways: British Airways will bid farewell to its final London-based Boeing (NYSE:BA) 747s on Thursday with a rare synchronised dual take off for the "Queen of the Skies", the jet which brought long-haul flights to the masses.
EasyJet: British airline easyJet Plc (EZJ.L) has signalled to the government that it may need further financial support if the coronavirus pandemic continues to hinder its schedule, Sky News reported on Wednesday.
Oil: Oil prices inched up on Thursday as oil workers evacuated rigs in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Delta, though fuel demand concerns persisted on fading chances for a U.S. economic stimulus deal and a build in U.S. crude inventories.
Gold: Gold prices were little changed on Thursday as renewed hopes for more U.S. stimulus kept the bullion afloat, with investors eyeing the weekly jobless claims data to further gauge the health of the world's largest economy.
The UK blue-chip index (.FTSE) closed down 0.06% on Wednesday, weighed down by a fall in energy stocks on lower oil prices, with investors looking for clues on U.S. stimulus measures after President Donald Trump called a halt to talks with Congress on a comprehensive bill.
UK corporate diary:
Imperial Brands Plc (IMB.L) Preclose trading statement
Electrocomponents Plc (ECM.L) Trading statement
Newriver REIT Plc (NRRT.L) Operational Update
CMC Markets Plc (CMCX.L) Q2 preclose trading statement
Easyjet Plc (EZJ.L) Q4 trading statement
Hargreaves Lansdown Plc (HRGV.L) Trading statement
Unite Group Plc (UTG.L) Trading statement