June 30 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 8 points, or 0.1 percent, on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* The UK blue chip index closed up 3.6 percent on Wednesday at 6,360.06, highest level since April, as a two-day rally recouped the losses it suffered after Britain voted to leave the European Union. RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto Ltd RIO.AX RIO.L will sever mining links with resource-rich Papua New Guinea, relinquishing ownership of the Panguna copper mine on Bougainville island which has been closed for around 25 years after a secessionist rebellion. OIL: Oil prices fell in early trade on Thursday, with Brent futures struggling to defend $50 per barrel as fears over strike outages in Norway faded and as Nigeria's production improved. COPPER: London copper hovered near its highest in eight weeks on Thursday as the dollar eased following recent gains in the wake of Britain's stunning vote to leave the European Union. BREXIT: U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he is confident Europeans will come up with a prudent plan to move forward after Britain's vote last week to leave the European Union. BREXIT: Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon got a "sympathetic" hearing in Brussels on Wednesday as she pleaded her case for Scots to stay in the EU, showing how Britain's vote to leave the bloc could splinter the United Kingdom. BREXIT: Bank of England Governor Mark Carney is set to outline his thinking on how Britain's economy is coping with last week's vote to leave the European Union in a speech on Thursday, his second intervention since the shock referendum result. BREXIT: United Overseas Bank UOBH.SI , Singapore's number 3 lender, became the first bank in the city state to suspended its loans programme for London properties in the wake of uncertainties caused by Britain's vote to leave the European Union. BREXIT: Britain's main opposition Labour Party headed for a leadership battle, mirroring a fight for control of the ruling Conservative Party, after the decision by voters to leave the European Union last week led to upheaval in Westminster. EQUITY DEALS: Global equity capital markets activity has sunk to a four-year low in 2016 according to quarterly Thomson Reuters data, although bankers and investors said that while Brexit could dent volumes it would not sink the market. UK CAR PRODUCTION: British car production rose by 26 percent year on year in May thanks to particularly strong demand for exports, but momentum could be halted by a loss of tariff-free access to Europe, an industry body said on Thursday. UK CONSUMER CONFIDENCE: Confidence among British consumers fell sharply in the days after the country decided to leave the European Union, according to a survey published on Thursday which gave a first glimpse of how the shock referendum result has affected households. JAPAN: Japan's industrial output slid in May at the fastest rate in three months to its lowest level since June 2013, highlighting concerns about falling exports and weak consumer spending. EX-DIVS: Babcock International BAB.L , British Land Company BLND.L , Coca Cola HBC CCH.L and Royal Mail RMG.L will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 1.27 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Tullow Oil PLC
Trading Statement John Wood Group PLC
Pre-close Trading Update Mercia Technologies PLC
Full Year Serco Group PLC
Half Year IPSA Group PLC
Half Year
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