July 4 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index .FTSE is seen opening 0.3 percent higher on Monday, according to financial bookmakers.
* The UK blue-chip index closed 1.1 percent higher on Friday at 6,577.83, climbing to a 10-month high and recording its biggest weekly rise in 4-1/2 years, as hopes of fresh Bank of England stimulus lent momentum to a rebound from the slump that followed the previous week's Brexit vote. LSE: Shareholders of the London Stock Exchange will vote on Monday on whether to back a $27 billion merger with Deutsche Boerse (DE:DB1Gn), even though the deal may have to be tweaked following Britain's decision to leave the European Union. RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto RIO.L RIO.AX will keep a newly formed division that includes troublesome coal and uranium assets, its newly appointed chief executive told Reuters, brushing off expectations it would consider a spin off and eventual sale. UK BANKS: A week after Britons voted themselves out of the European Union, many London-based bankers and their employers face two options if they are to secure their futures: lobby or leave. UK BANKS: Facing the prospect of their first UK recession, Britain's small specialist lenders could struggle to cope with a downturn, especially in the small and medium-sized business sector that is their lifeblood. BREXIT: British finance minister George Osborne is planning to cut corporation tax to less than 15 percent in an attempt to offset the shock to investors of the country's decision to leave the European Union, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Financial Times also reported that Osborne will put more effort into Britain's relationship with China and lead another trade visit later this year, following Britain's decision to leave the European Union. BREXIT: Two leading contenders to be the next British prime minister disagreed publicly on Sunday on how quickly negotiations should be triggered to plan a departure from the European Union. BREXIT: Britain is paying the price for a high level of inequality and a chronic lack of investment in education which have prompted a disillusioned population to vote to leave the European Union, Credit Suisse CSGN.S Chief Executive Tidjane Thiam said on Sunday. BREXIT: The United Kingdom is unlikely to try to lure international investment by becoming a tax haven after it leaves the European Union, according to an internal memo prepared by the body responsible for the drafting international tax rules. BREXIT: Britain will face two key challenges, inflation and recession, after Britons voted to leave the European Union, or Brexit, European Central Bank Governing Council member Francois Villeroy de Galhau said on Sunday. GOLD: Gold eased off a near two-year high, while silver breached the $21 level for the first time since July 2014 in highly volatile trade on Monday, prompted by a burst of short-covering in China. COPPER: London copper rose for a sixth consecutive session on Monday with the market climbing to a two-month top on expectations of stimulus measures in top consumer China. OIL: Oil futures were steady on Monday following comments from the Saudi energy minister that the market was heading towards balance, although signs of slowing demand in Asia weighed. UK CORPORATE DIARY:
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