(Updates company news item, futures)
Jan 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening down 1 point on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 down 0.19 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* The UK blue chip index ended its record 14-day winning streak on Monday, finishing down for the first day since Dec. 21, as banking stocks slumped on 'hard Brexit' worries ahead of Theresa May's speech on Tuesday. It ended down 0.15 percent at 7327.13 points. RIO TINTO: Global miner Rio Tinto RIO.AX , RIO.L could be in a position to reward shareholders with a strong dividend hike or even a share buyback next year as it benefits from a sharp rise in metals prices, fund managers and analysts said on Tuesday. BATS/REYNOLDS: British American Tobacco BATS.L said on Tuesday it had agreed terms to buy U.S. rival Reynolds American Inc (NYSE:RAI) RAI.N after it increased its offer for the 57.8 percent of the company it did not already own to $49.4 billion. GREGGS: British baker Greggs GRG.L raised profit guidance for 2016 after a strong Christmas but cautioned that it faced greater uncertainty in the trading environment in 2017 with increased pressure on real income growth. ROLLS-ROYCE: British engineering company Rolls-Royce Plc RR.L said on Monday that it reached settlements with authorities in Britain, the United States and Brazil relating to bribery and corruption involving intermediaries, which would result in a series of payments totalling 671 million pounds ($809 million). GLENCORE: Russian bank VTB VTBR.MM took part in last year's deal for trading house Glencore GLEN.L and Qatar's state investment fund (QIA) to buy a stake in Rosneft ROSN.MM , RIA news agency cited a Rosneft spokesman as saying on Tuesday. WIZZ AIR: European short-haul air fares should stabilise by next winter as higher fuel prices limits further expansion by the continent's airlines, the chief executive of Wizz Air WIZZ.L said on Monday. LSE: The clearing houses of the London Stock Exchange LSE.L will not raise the cost of using Italian bonds to raise funds despite the downgrade of Italy by credit agency DBRS, an LSE spokesman said. BREXIT: British businesses are increasingly cautious about their investment plans as they worry about how the country's planned departure from the European Union will affect the economy this year, a survey showed on Tuesday. LSE: Blackrock (NYSE:BLK) BLK.N , the second-largest shareholder in both Deutsche Boerse DB1Gn.DE and London Stock Exchange Group LSE.L , publicly voiced its support for the $28 billion merger of the two European exchanges as key regulatory decisions on the tie-up loom. BREXIT: Britain will not seek a Brexit deal that leaves it "half in, half out" of the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May will say on Tuesday, according to her office, in a speech setting out her 12 priorities for upcoming divorce talks with the bloc. Prime Minister Theresa May's 12 priorities for Brexit will include leaving the European Union's single market and customs union, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Monday. BANK OF ENGLAND: Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said on Monday that he would keep a close eye on British consumers this year to see if their buoyant mood since June's Brexit vote persists in the face of higher inflation. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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