(Adds futures, company results)
March 3 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 futures FFIc1 were up 0.04 percent on Thursday by 0727 GMT, ahead of the cash market open. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on The UK blue chip index .FTSE closed 0.1 percent lower on Wednesday at 6,147.06 with the market's earlier gains fizzling out as oil prices weakened, while shares in ITV ITV.L and Intertek ITRK.L also declined. LSEG: Carsten Kengeter, the chief executive of Deutsche Boerse DB1Gn.DE lauded the benefits for the Frankfurt exchange and its customers on Wednesday of a proposed deal to merge the German exchange operator with the London Stock Exchange LSE.L . SCHRODERS: Schroders SDR.L , Britain's biggest listed asset manager, on Thursday posted forecast-beating full-year results boosted by strong investor inflows, and unveiled a sweeping boardroom shake-up, with CEO Michael Dobson taking over as chairman. ADMIRAL: British insurer Admiral ADML.L posted an above-forecast 6 percent rise in 2015 pre-tax profit to 377 million pounds ($530.78 million) on Thursday, boosted by competitive pricing in an enivronment of rising car insurance rates. GENEL ENERGY: Genel Energy GENL.L , one of the main oil producers in Iraqi Kurdistan, has slipped further into the red as it wrote off $1 billion relating to its Taq Taq oilfield that has lower recoverable reserves than previously estimated. AGGREKO: British temporary power provider Aggreko AGGK.L said it was on track to deliver 80 million pounds worth of cash savings after it posted a 13 percent fall in underlying 2015 pretax profit, in line with expectations. INMARSAT: Satellite communications group Inmarsat Plc ISA.L said it expected tough trading conditions in some of its markets to persist this year after it posted a 3.6 percent rise in core earnings for 2015. STANDARD LIFE/SHELL: The investment arm of British insurer Standard life SL.L said on Wednesday it would step up its engagement with management at Volkswagen VOWG_p.DE and Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L over certain concerns it has regarding corporate governance. UK SUPERMARKETS: Britain's Co-operative Group 42TE.L has added fuel to the country's supermarket price war with another wave of cuts. The company, which is the UK's fifth-largest supermarket chain by sales, said on Wednesday that the price reductions on more than 200 of its own-brand British-sourced meat and poultry products would total 75 million pounds ($105 million). SPORTS DIRECT/ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT: Sports Direct SPD.L and Aberdeen Asset Management ADN.L will drop out of Britain's benchmark FTSE 100 .FTSE equity index after a slump in their share prices since the start of 2016. Other companies to be relegated from the top British shares index will be diversified engineering company Smiths Group SMIN.L and Hikma Pharmaceuticals HIK.L , the London Stock Exchange said on Wednesday. four companies will be replaced in the FTSE 100 by gambling company Paddy Power Betfair PPB.L , supermarket operator WM Morrison MRW.L , publishing company Informa INF.L and private hospital operator Mediclinic International MDCM.L .
* BHP BILLITON: Mining company Samarco and its owners, BHP Billiton BLT.L and Vale SA VALE5.SA , reached a deal with the Brazilian government on Wednesday to pay an estimated 20 billion reais ($5.1 billion) in damages over 15 years for a deadly dam spill in November. SHAWBROOK: British bank Shawbrook Group Plc SHAW.L said its full-year underlying pretax profit rose 63 percent, driven by growing demand from small businesses for loans. UK ENERGY: Britain's government must set out its policies beyond 2020 to restore confidence in the country's energy sector if it is to secure the billions of pounds of investment needed to keep the lights on while meeting climate targets, lawmakers said on Thursday. HOUSE PRICES: British house price growth picked up speed in annual terms last month as investors sought out buy-to-let properties before the introduction of a new tax, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Thursday. OIL: Oil prices edged higher on Thursday as sentiment spread that a 20-month-long market rout is coming to an end as production slows amid strong demand. COPPER: London copper hit its highest since mid-November on Thursday as risk appetite stayed strong, fuelled by a revival in share markets and commodity prices that fanned hopes a global recovery was getting on track. EX-DIVS: Hargreaves Lansdown HRGV.L , HSBC Holdings HSBA.L , Persimmon
PSN.L , RSA Insurance Group RSA.L will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 13.2 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations UK PAPERS
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