(Adds company news items and futures)
July 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 futures FFIc1 were flat on Tuesday ahead of the cash market open.
* ROYAL MAIL: Britain's Royal Mail Plc RMG.L said on Tuesday some customers remained uncertain about the new European data privacy law as the company reported a decline in the number of letters it delivered in its first quarter. ARBUTHNOT: Britain's Arbuthnot Banking Group Plc ARBB.L reported a jump in first-half pretax profit and said it would set up a specialist secured lending unit to provide short-term secured loans to property businesses and entrepreneurs. FINSBURY: Finsbury Food Group FIF.L is on track to hit its profit target for the year, despite a perfect storm of high commodity prices and rising wages putting pressure on margins, the Telegraph reported. OIL: Brent crude prices rose from a three-month low on Tuesday after more oil workers went on strike in Norway, supporting a market that has been dominated by oversupply issues in recent days. GOLD: Gold prices were steady on Tuesday, as the U.S. dollar remained largely unchanged ahead of U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's first congressional testimony. The UK blue chip index closed 0.8 percent lower at 7600.45 on Monday, as soft Chinese data hit miners amid persistent worries over global trade. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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