Aug 22 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening down 2 points, according to financial bookmakers.
* The UK blue chip index closed down 0.2 percent to 6,858.95 points on Friday, to post its worst weekly drop since mid-June as its earlier rally up to 14-month highs stalled, with mining stocks hit by weaker copper prices. RBS: Some big corporate clients of Royal Bank of Scotland RBS.L face the prospect of paying to hold deposits with the bank from Monday as it becomes the first lender in Britain to charge negative interest rates. IBSTOCK: Britain's largest brickmaker is to cap the liabilities of its pension fund and block present members from making fresh contributions. Ibstock Plc IBST.L launched a two-month consultation after announcing proposals to scale back the cost of its final-salary pension scheme, which entitles retiring members to pensions linked to their earnings at the point of retiring, the Times reported on Friday. SPORTS DIRECT: Sports Direct International Plc SPD.L has confirmed that it will publish a long-awaited report next month into its working practices after the retailer brought in lawyers to look into allegations of mistreatment of its staff, the Times reported on Friday. UK GOVERNMENT: The UK government has turned the spending tap on after the vote for Brexit with a stunning increase of more than 50 percent in the value of public sector contracts going out to tender, the Times reported on Monday. UK HOME PRICES: Uncertainty over Britain's departure from the European Union is likely to push house prices down by 1 percent next year before staging a recovery in 2018, estate agency group Countrywide has predicted, the Financial Times reported on Monday. (http://on.ft.com/2beoMbt)
* UK DIVIDENDS: Underlying UK dividends, excluding exceptional payouts, fell 3.3 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, according to the Henderson Global Dividend Index, as cuts from Britain's biggest companies and the weakness of the pound takes its toll on the earnings of overseas investors, the Financial times reported on Monday.(http://on.ft.com/2bIdqx5)
* BHS: Financial company Amicus initiated legal proceedings against the Chappell family to repossess the family home of Dominic Chappell, unless their debts were repaid. The debt was settled when the parent company of BHS paid out 1.5 million pounds. The money came from BHS and was paid out as an interest-free loan. It has not been repaid, the Guardian reported on Sunday. TATA STEEL: Tata Steel UK's giant Port Talbot steel plant has clawed itself back into profit as staff strain to boost efficiency despite having no idea whether their jobs are safe. Sources familiar with finances at the sprawling operation in South Wales revealed it made a 5 million pounds profit in June, reversing the 1 million pounds a day loss it was making six months ago, the Telegraph reported on Sunday. LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB: State-backed Chinese group China Everbright is plotting to buy a stake in Liverpool Football Club in a deal valuing the Premier League outfit at more than 700 million pounds - even as its American owners insist they have no intention of relinquishing control, Sky News reported on Sunday. HINKLEY POINT: The Institute of Directors has backed Prime Minister Theresa May's decision to review the 18.5 billion pounds ($24.32 billion) Hinkley nuclear scheme but launched a savage attack on successive government policies for failing to deliver energy security, the Guardian reported on Friday. UK ENERGY PRICES: The staggering cost of UK's uncompetitive energy market has been revealed, as new research shows consumers have handed an extra 18.7 billion pounds to gas and electricity suppliers than if they had regularly switched to the best deals, the Independent reported on Friday.(http://ind.pn/2bFFKlD)
* METALS: London copper edged down on Monday in the face of a stronger dollar and as glut-hit China ramped up its exports of the metal. OIL: Oil prices fell on Monday as analysts doubted upcoming producer talks would rein in oversupply, saying that Brent would likely fall back below $50 a barrel as August's more than 20-percent crude rally looks overblown. NIGERIA OIL: Oil companies and even Nigerian officials are losing faith in a deal anytime soon with militants who have slashed the nation's oil output, casting doubt on a production recovery in what is typically Africa's largest oil exporter. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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