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April 25 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 6 points higher at 7,477 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, while FTSE 100 futures .FFIc1 were up 0.22 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* MEGGITT: British engineering company Meggitt Plc MGGT.L reported organic revenue growth of 9 percent in the first quarter, but warned it would face tougher comparisons for the rest of 2019 and the potential for air traffic growth to moderate. KAZ MINERALS: Kaz Minerals KAZ.L said on Thursday its first-quarter copper production rose 4 percent, boosted by robust volumes at its Aktogay mine, while higher output was expected for the rest of the year. CARPETRIGHT: Flooring retailer Carpetright Plc CPRC.L said on Thursday it saw significant improvement in UK like-for-like sales in the fourth quarter as its restructuring efforts began to pay off. ANGLO AMERICAN: Anglo American Plc AAL.L said total output slipped by 6 percent during the first quarter, partly hurt by production issues at Venetia diamond mine and Kumba iron ore and platinum group metals. TAYLOR WIMPEY: Britain's third-largest homebuilder Taylor Wimpey Plc TW.L on Thursday said it expects to sell slightly more homes this year than last year, but warned that margins would be a tad lower. SAINSBURY: Britain's competition regulator has blocked Sainsbury's SBRY.L proposed 7.3 billion pound ($9.4 billion) takeover of Walmart (NYSE:WMT) WMT.N owned Asda - a huge blow to the supermarket groups who wanted to combine to overtake market leader Tesco TSCO.L . TULLOW: Tullow Oil TLW.L downgraded its 2019 output guidance to 90,000 to 98,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) on Thursday due to problems at its flagship fields in Ghana and delayed a final go-ahead on its Uganda project to the second half of the year. Royal Bank: Royal Bank of Scotland plc RBS.L said on Thursday that Chief Executive Ross McEwan has resigned from his role. BARCLAYS: Barclays BARC.L on Thursday posted a first quarter pretax profit of 1.5 billion pounds ($1.94 billion), down from 1.7 billion pounds a year ago but in line with analysts' expectations amid tough market conditions. SHELL: The restart of the gasoline-producing unit at Royal Dutch Shell Plc's RDSa.L 218,200 barrel-per-day (bpd) Norco, Louisiana, refinery has been delayed between one and two weeks, said sources familiar with plant operations on Wednesday. SAINSBURY'S: Sainsbury's SBRY.L and Asda, the British arm of U.S. retailer Walmart WMT.N , are "very unlikely" to appeal against the verdict of Britain's regulator on their proposed merger, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. OIL: Oil prices were torn on Thursday, supported by tightening sanctions against Iran announced this week and pressured by a surge in U.S. supply and concerns of an economic slowdown. GOLD: Gold prices edged up on Thursday as weak data from Germany and a dip in equities raised flags about the pace of global economic growth, while a firm dollar curbed further gains for the metal. EX-DIVS: Antofagasta ANTO.L , Fresnillo FRES.L , Glencore GLEN.L , Informa INF.L , Legal & General LGEN.L and Spirax-Sarco SPX.L will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, taking 7.66 points off the FTSE 100, according to Reuters calculations The UK blue chip index lost 0.7 percent on Wednesday, its worst day in a month, as oil majors weakened amid signs that global markets remain adequately supplied. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/
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