Oct 20 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening flat in percentage terms on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* The UK blue chip index ended 0.3 percent higher at 7,021.92 points on Wednesday, with energy stocks tracking a sharp rally in crude oil prices and banks gaining momentum after U.S. bank Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) MS.N reported better-than-expected profits. RIO TINTO: Global miner Rio Tinto RIO.L RIO.AX on Thursday cut its 2016 guidance for iron ore shipments by as much as 5 million tonnes after releasing lower third-quarter production data, citing shipping interruptions. BREXIT: Germany's pharmaceutical and transport industries - including the aerospace and rail construction businesses - are likely to suffer most from Britain leaving the European Union, a study showed on Thursday. BREXIT: Finance minister Philip Hammond sought to reassure Britain's powerful banking sector that he would protect its access to skilled labour and the European Union's single market once the country leaves the bloc. BREXIT: Prime Minister Theresa May will tell European Union leaders on Thursday it is time to start talking about future EU ties with Britain and put paid to suggestions her government might reconsider Brexit. BANK OF ENGLAND: The Bank of England's 435 billion-pound ($534 billion)government bond-buying programme is likely to bring about a 300 billion-pound increase in overall spending in Britain, equivalent to three times annual public health spending, the BoE's chief economist said on Wednesday. BREXIT: The Scottish government believes that contributing to the EU budget might be a price worth paying for keeping Scotland in Europe's single market if the broader British state leaves as part of its Brexit deal. BANKS: British banks are calling for the government to phase out an extra tax on profits at a time of significant upheaval following Britain's vote to leave the European Union and its potential hit to London's financial dominance. SCOTLAND: Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon publishes a draft bill for a second independence referendum on Thursday as she ramps up the pressure on the British government to make sure Scotland's voice is heard in Brexit talks. EX-DIVS: BAE Systems BAES.L , Capita CPI.L , HSBC Holdings HSBA.L , INTU INTUP.L , Smiths Group SMIN.L and Rolls-Royce RR.L will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 8.76 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations OIL: Oil prices dipped on Thursday on profit taking after markets rallied the previous day due to a draw in U.S. stocks and an expectation of an OPEC-led cut in production. International Brent crude futures LCOc1 were trading at $52.52 per barrel, down 15 cents at 0503 GMT. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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