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May 1 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 35 points higher at 7,454 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, while FTSE 100 futures .FFIc1 were up 0.52 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE: London Stock Exchange Group Plc LSE.L , reported higher quarterly income on Wednesday, as its clearing and information services businesses grew strongly against what it called a challenging market backdrop. IWG: British office space provider IWG Plc IWG.L said on Wednesday revenue for the first quarter was up over 10 percent, driven by double digit growth across America, Europe and Middle East. PERSIMMON: Persimmon PSN.L , Britain's second-largest housebuilder, reported lower revenue from upcoming sales due to fewer reservations so far this year, and said the cost to build homes would rise by about 4 percent this year. INMARSAT: Inmarsat Plc ISA.L reported a 13 percent fall in first-quarter core earnings on Wednesday, hit by lower sales at its maritime business and weak demand for its legacy products such as satellite phones. SAINSBURY: Sainsbury SBRY.L Chief Executive Mike Coupe said on Wednesday he was not going anywhere after the regulator blocked his plan to acquire rival Asda WMT.N . SIRIUS: Sirius Minerals plc SXX.L said on Wednesday it had raised $425 million to finance the next stage of its polyhalite mine in North Yorkshire. NEXT: British clothing chain Next NXT.L on Wednesday said warm weather over the Easter holiday drove a 4.5 percent rise in full-price first-quarter sales, beating its own forecasts of a 3.2 percent rise. RIO TINTO: Copper miner Rio Tinto Ltd RIO.AX , RIO.L "firmly believes" that the United States and China will ink a trade deal, Chief Executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques told the CNBC television network on Tuesday. BP: Gambia's government said on Tuesday it had signed a contract with BP BP.L to explore oil and gas off its coast. OIL: Oil prices fell on Wednesday after a report showed a rise in U.S. crude inventories, but global markets remained tense amid an intensifying political crisis in Venezuela, tightening U.S. sanctions on Iran, and ongoing OPEC supply cuts. GOLD: Gold prices eased on Wednesday on overnight gains in U.S. equities, while a May Day lull gripped most of Asian markets ahead of a closely monitored Federal Reserve decision on the future trajectory of interest rates. The UK blue-chip index closed down 0.3 percent as an unexpected slowdown in China's April factory activity coupled with a firmer pound weighed on the FTSE 100 as miners and exporters weakened, even as Standard Chartered (LON:STAN) surged on buyback plans. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/
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