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Sept 4 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is expected to open 16 points higher at 7,284 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 up 0.6%ahead of the cash market open.
* BARRATT: Britain's biggest housebuilder Barratt Developments Plc BDEV.L reported higher annual pretax profit, benefiting from higher margins even as it faced a tough real estate market. QUIZ: British retailer QUIZ Plc QUIZ.L said on Wednesday the number of shoppers walking into its fast-fashion stores has fallen this year, underscoring a muted UK high street ahead of Brexit, and warned that conditions were expected to remain difficult. RBS: Britain's Royal Bank of Scotland RBS.L could have to shell out a further 900 million pounds to settle a final compensation bill for mis-selling payment protection insurance after a last-minute surge in claims from customers. JUST GROUP: British specialist pension provider Just Group JUSTJ.L posted a 27% fall in first-half underlying operating profit to 114 million pounds ($139.96 million) due to a drop in new business profit, it said. KAINOS: Digital services company Kainos Group KNOS.L said on Wednesday it was cautious about public-sector spending in Britain, with the course of Brexit unresolved and possible outcomes including a turbulent "no-deal" exit.
Dunelm Group DNLM.L posted on Wednesday a 23% jump in its annual pretax profit, but the British homewares retailer said it would maintain a cautious stance about its full-year outlook due to uncertainty over Britain's exit from the European Union. BHP: Several BHP Group BHPB.L shareholders, including the Church of England pension fund, are recommending the company suspend its membership in industry groups that advocate for policies inconsistent with the Paris climate change agreement. BP: Operations at BP Plc's BP.L 430,000 bpd Whiting, Indiana, refinery were continuing normally with no units shut, said sources familiar with plant operations on Monday. SHELL: Royal Dutch Shell Plc RDSa.L restarted the coker at its 225,300-barrel-per-day (bpd) Norco, Louisiana, refinery on Saturday, said sources familiar with plant operations. DIAGEO: Scottish union Unite on Tuesday disclosed a series of strike action dates at some of Diageo Plc's DGE.L plants after talks over pay raise fell through between the British beverage giant and two of its biggest Scottish unions. BREXIT: British finance minister Sajid Javid will announce increases in public spending on Wednesday, preparing the ground for a possible snap election call by Prime Minister Boris Johnson who is seeking a way to break resistance to his Brexit plans. BREXIT: The speaker of Britain's House of Commons, John Bercow, approved an emergency debate in parliament on Brexit put forward by a group of lawmakers who are seeking to block leaving the EU without a deal. GOLD: Gold held steady after rising 1% in the previous session, with prices hovering near a more than six-year high on heightened fears of a global recession following weak U.S. data, the prolonged Sino-U.S. trade spat and Brexit uncertainties. OIL: Oil prices recovered some ground after touching their lowest in close to a month during the previous session on concerns that a weakening global economy could depress demand. London-listed stocks most exposed to the British economy fell as investors worried the country was heading for a chaotic no-deal exit from the European Union or an early national election, while global growth concerns also persisted. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/
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