Sept 29 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up around 61 to 70 points, or as much as 1 percent, on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* The UK blue chip index closed 0.6 percent higher on Wednesday at 6,849.38, bouncing back from a one-week low as engineering firm Smiths Group SMIN.L surged after posting higher-than-expected profits and miners tracked stronger metals prices. BARCLAYS: Credit Suisse Group AG CSGN.S and Barclays Plc BARC.L are in mortgage-settlement talks with the U.S. Department of Justice, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. HINKLEY POINT: The British government and France's EDF EDF.PA will officially sign a contract to build Britain's first new nuclear power plant in a generation on Thursday, after months of wrangling over the involvement of EDF's Chinese partner, sources said. PLUS500: Retail currency trading firm Plus500 Ltd PLUSP.L said its founders would sell up to 15.5 million shares in the company. The Israel-based company said the sale, via an accelerated bookbuilding procedure, represents about 13 percent of its shares and that it would not receive any proceeds. BHP: BHP Billiton BHP.AX BLT.L said a massive blackout in South Australia has forced it to suspend production at its Olympic Dam copper, gold and uranium mine to divert back-up power to maintain essential operations at the remote site. UK STEEL: Industrial and commodity group Liberty House's bid for Tata Steel TISC.NS UK's speciality steel and pipe businesses is worth nearly 100 million pounds ($130 million), an industry source told Reuters on Wednesday. OPEC: OPEC agreed on Wednesday modest oil output cuts in the first such deal since 2008, with the group's leader Saudi Arabia softening its stance on arch-rival Iran amid mounting pressure from low oil prices. OIL: Oil futures retreated on Thursday as the market grew more sceptical on how OPEC would implement a plan to curb oil output a day after the group agreed to limit production. OIL: Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) said the deal reached by OPEC crude producers on Wednesday to curb output should add $7 to $10 to oil prices in the first half of next year. METALS: London lead futures climbed to the highest since May last year on Thursday amid worries over tighter supply in top market China and elsewhere, while nickel held near seven-week highs on similar supply risks from top ore exporter Philippines. BREXIT: Britain needs to begin explaining its Brexit strategy to avoid prolonged uncertainty for businesses and negotiating partners, a London-based think tank said on Thursday, warning that internal squabbling risked undermining the government's position. EX-DIVS: Intertek Group ITRK.L and Morrison Supermarket MRW.L will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 0.28 off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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