June 29 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 37 points at 7,424 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* Rolls-Royce (LON:RR): Rolls-Royce has plans for a new test plant in Derby, making way for its biggest single investment into the UK in more than a decade, The Financial Times reported on Thursday.(http://on.ft.com/2siPGdF)
* RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto RIO.AX RIO.L shareholders approved the sale of a suite of Australian coal assets to China-backed Yancoal Australia YAL.AX for $2.69 billion, ending a bidding war with commodities trader Glencore GLEN.L . BARCLAYS: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may take action against bankers from Barclays Plc BARC.L and Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) MS.N for their roles in Puerto Rico bond sales, Bloomberg reported. ROYAL DUTCH SHELL: The widows of four of nine men executed by Nigeria's military regime in 1995 have filed a civil lawsuit seeking compensation and an apology from Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L for alleged complicity in a military crackdown, according to a writ filed in a court in The Hague. OIL: Crude oil futures rose for a sixth consecutive session on Thursday, as a decline in U.S. production underpinned the market that has been under pressure from a global supply glut. GOLD: Gold held firm on Thursday as the U.S. dollar hovered near 10-month lows on bets that central banks in Europe and Britain are preparing to scale back monetary stimulus. COPPER: London copper punched through a key technical level on Thursday as a weaker dollar and falling supply helped prices hit their highest in almost three months. EX-DIVS: Babcock International BAB.L , British Land Company BLND.L ,Coca Cola HBC CCH.L , International Consolidated Airlines ICAG.L , Royal Mail RMG.L will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 2.26 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations The UK blue chip index fell 0.6 percent on Wednesday, depressed by a slide in Hargreaves Lansdown HRGV.L and oil stocks, though a jump in Bunzl (LON:BNZL)'s shares offered some relief. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
* UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Greene King Plc
Full Year 2017 Earnings Release ReNeuron Group Plc
Full Year 2017 Earnings Release Blur Group Plc
BLUR.L Full Year 2016 Earnings Release John Wood Group Plc WG.L
Trading Update Release DS Smith PLC
SMDS.L Full Year 2017 Earnings Release
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