(Adds futures, company news items)
Oct 18 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 23 points higher on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 up 0.09 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* FLYBE: British regional airline Flybe FLYB.L warned on Wednesday that first-half profit would be lower than expected, blaming higher costs related to aircraft maintenance. FOXTONS: British estate agent Foxtons FOXT.L said on Wednesday that its third-quarter revenue fell 6.4 percent, hit by lower sales commissions. SECURE TRUST: Secure Trust Bank STBS.L maintained its cautious stance on consumer lending due to ongoing economic uncertainty and regulatory warnings, as it reported growth in its loan book for the third quarter. HILTON: Processed meat supplier Hilton Food Group HFG.L said it agreed to buy chilled-fish processor Seachill for a cash consideration of 80.8 million pounds ($106.5 million), in a move to enter the UK fish market. SAINSBURY'S: Sainsbury 's SBRY.L , Britain's second biggest supermarket group behind Tesco TSCO.L , is seeking to cut up to 2,000 jobs mainly in its payroll and human resources departments, a company spokesman said on Tuesday. RIO TINTO: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said it charged mining company Rio Tinto Plc RIO.L and two of its former top executives on Tuesday with fraud for inflating the value of coal assets acquired for $3.7 billion and sold a few years later for $50 million. BHP: Global miner BHP Billiton BHP.AX , BLT.L reported a 4 percent drop in quarterly iron ore output following a fire at its Mount Whaleback mine in Australia in June but said it still expects to hit its annual production target. GOLD: Gold prices inched up on Wednesday from a one-week low with the dollar holding steady, but speculation that President Donald Trump might pick a policy hawk to lead the U.S. Federal Reserve weighed on the metal. COPPER: London copper climbed on Wednesday, supported by demand growth expectations and relief from a stronger dollar, while markets looked ahead to policy announcements from China's Communist Party conference. British shares edged lower on Tuesday, with a flurry of trading updates driving sharp swings in individual stocks including tourist attractions operator Merlin Entertainments, which plummeted after disappointing summer sales. The FTSE index .FTSE ended the day 0.1 percent lower, weighed down by a pullback in mining stocks as metals slipped from three-year peaks hit on Monday. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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