Aug 16 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 6 points on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers.
* BHP: Hedge fund Elliott Management has raised its stake in BHP Billiton BHP.AX , BLT.L to 5 percent, stepping up a campaign to make the top global miner quit all or part of its petroleum business, boost returns and ditch its dual listing. BRITAIN-EU/IRELAND: There should be no border posts between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland after Brexit, Britain said in an early attempt to resolve one of the most complex aspects of its European Union exit. GOLD: Gold prices inched up early on Wednesday after two days of losses, with investors awaiting minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve's last meeting in July for clues on the pace of potential interest rate hikes. OIL: Oil prices edged up on Wednesday on a fall in U.S. crude inventories, although markets were still being weighed down by general oversupply. LONDON-ZINC: London zinc hit its highest in almost a decade on Wednesday, as Chinese infrastructure demand that has fed a rally in steel prices for months spills into markets for steelmaking raw materials. The UK blue chip index closed 0.4 percent higher at 7,383.85 points on Tuesday, helped by a late boost from airlines, and after inflation data earlier eased investors' fears over a squeeze on consumer spending.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
* UK CORPORATE DIARY: CLS Holdings
CLSH.L Half Year 2017 Earnings Release Balfour Beatty
BALF.L Half Year 2017 Earnings Release Admiral Group
ADML.L Half Year 2017 Earnings Release Hochschild Mining
HOCM.L Half Year 2017 Earnings Release BGEO Group
BGEO.L Half Year 2017 Earnings Release
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