UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Feb 22

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen to open 82 points lower at 7,199.8 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.

* INTERSERVE: British contractor Interserve IRV.L , which is in talks with its bankers to secure funding after issuing two profit warnings last year, has decided to close its power business as part of an operational restructuring of its industrial unit.

ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca Plc AZN.L , AZN.N said on Wednesday an advisory committee of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the use of its FluMist Quadrivalent vaccine in the upcoming flu season, reversing its earlier position.

UNILEVER: The British government is bracing for Unilever ULVR.L , UNc.AS , one of the country's biggest companies, to shift its headquarters to the Netherlands after months of political pressure from both sides, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

GLENCORE: Glencore GLEN.L and four bank lenders have reached a deal with Chad on the restructuring of an over $1 billion oil-backed loan, sources familiar with the matter said.

SIMPLYBIZ-IPO: British company SimplyBiz is joining a queue of financial services firms preparing for flotations on the London stock market with plans for a listing that could value the group at more than 150 million pounds ($209 million). AA: Ten hedge funds betting on a fall in AA AAAA.L shares are set to reap collective paper profits of more than 16 million pounds ($22.3 million) after its stock dropped by up to 30 percent.

METRO BANK: Metro Bank MTRO.L could raise capital this year, its CEO said, as the British lender looks to fuel growth. EX-DIVS: Carnival CCL.L , Diageo DGE.L , GlaxoSmithKline GSK.L , Imperial Brands IMB.L , will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 9.1 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations ID:nL8N1QA2AG

* BRITAIN-EU: Britain still wants an implementation phase with the European Union of around two years, a government source said on Wednesday, saying there was no change in the government's Brexit policy. transition period after Britain leaves the European Union at midnight of March 29th, 2019, should last as long as it takes to prepare a new free trade agreement with the European Union, a British document showed on Wednesday.

OIL: Oil prices fell on Thursday, pulled down as a firmer dollar outweighed a report of a decrease in U.S. crude inventories.

GOLD: Gold prices held steady around a one-week low on Thursday, weighed down by minutes from the last U.S. Federal Reserve meeting that showed policymakers backed further interest rate rises.

METALS: London metals fell on Thursday after U.S. policymakers backed the need for more rate rises, pushing up the dollar and putting pressure on metals as trading in Shanghai resumed after a week-long break. The UK blue chip index closed 0.48 percent higher at 7281.57 points on Wenesday, as solid earnings from Glencore and Lloyds (LON: LLOY ) gave a boost to miners and financial shares, helping lift the blue-chip index into positive territory after earlier losses.

* UK CORPORATE DIARY:

Barclays Plc

BARC.L

Full Year 2017 Earnings Release Centrica Plc

CNA.L

Preliminary 2017 Earnings Release BAE Systems Plc

BAES.L

Full Year 2017 Earnings Release British American Tobacco Plc

BATS.L

Full Year 2017 Earnings Release Anglo American Plc

AAL.L

Full Year 2017 Earnings Release Hays Plc