Oct 29 - Britain's FTSE 100 (.FTSE) index is seen opening 8 points lower at 5,575 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures up 0.06% ahead of cash market open.
Royal Dutch Shell: Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) announced it will increase its third-quarter dividend by 4% after reporting strong-than-expected profits in the quarter.
Smith+Nephew: Smith+Nephew (SN.L) said revenue recovered strongly in the third quarter from the second, as hospitals managed to carry out more elective surgeries after the initial wave of coronavirus infections.
WPP: The world's biggest advertising company WPP (WPP.L) said client wins from Uber (NYSE:UBER), Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) and HSBC (LON:HSBA) had helped it to report an improvement in third-quarter underlying trading.
Lloyds: Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) posted forecast-beating third-quarter profit, lowering its provisions for expected bad loans due to the pandemic and cashing in on a boom in demand for mortgages.
BT: BT (BT.L), Britain's biggest fixed-line and mobile operator, said it had delivered a strong operational performance in the first half given the challenges of COVID-19 as it raised the lower limit of its earnings guidance for the year.
AstraZeneca: Senior sources in the British government expect that a verdict on whether Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Inc-backed (PFE.N) COVID-19 vaccine works will be available before the results are in on AstraZeneca Plc's (AZN.L) competing vaccine, the Times reported.
Standard Chartered: Standard Chartered (STAN.L) said third-quarter profit slid 40% on higher credit impairment resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and lower interest rates, although a tighter rein on costs helped it beat expectations.
Aston Martin: British luxury car maker Aston Martin (AML.L) is testing investor appetite for risky assets days before the U.S. election with a 840-million-pound junk bond sale, one of the largest deals of its kind in Europe this year.
Gold: Gold edged up after a plunge in the previous session as surging global coronavirus cases and fears of a contested U.S. presidential election spurred demand, although a strong dollar capped gains.
Oil: Oil prices rose in early trading, regaining some of the ground lost in a 5% slump overnight, amid the prospect of tighter short-term supply with two-thirds of U.S. output shut in the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Zeta slammed Louisiana.
The UK blue-chip index (.FTSE) closed 2.6% lower on Wednesday as investors dumped riskier assets on fears of more lockdowns and uncertainty over a British trade deal with the EU.
UK corporate diary:
EVRAZ Plc (EVRE.L) Q3 trading update
Angle Plc (AGLE.L) HY earnings
BT Group Plc (BT.L) HY earnings
Smith & Nephew Plc (SN.L) Q3 trading statement
WPP Plc (WPP.L) Q3 trading statement
KAZ Minerals Plc (KAZ.L) Q3 production report
Indivior Plc (INDV.L) Q3 earnings