March 19 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 50
points lower at 6,730 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.
* THOMSON REUTERS: Thomson Reuters Corp TRI.TO and members of Refinitiv's
management plan will indirectly sell about 10.5 million voting shares in London
Stock Exchange Group LSEG.L , joint bookrunner J.P. Morgan Securities said in a
statement on Thursday. * ASTRAZENECA: The EU's drug watchdog said on Thursday it is still convinced
the benefits of AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN)'s AZN.L COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks
following an investigation into reports of blood clots that prompted more than a
dozen nations to suspend its use. * ASDA: The chief executive of Asda, Roger Burnley, will leave the British
supermarket chain next year, it said on Thursday. * CONSUMER SENTIMENT: British consumer morale struck a one-year high this
month as the public became increasingly confident that an economic recovery from
the COVID-19 pandemic is approaching and that they would benefit directly, a
survey showed. * GOLD: Gold prices fell as the dollar held onto its gains from the previous
sessions on the back of rising U.S. Treasury yields. * OIL: Oil prices edged up as a new wave of COVID-19 infections across
Europe spurred fresh lockdowns and dampened hopes that an anticipated recovery
in fuel demand would come soon. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.3% higher on Thursday, with bank
stocks providing the biggest boost after a spike in Treasury yields. UK CORPORATE DIARY:
JD Wetherspoon JDW.L HY results
Sanne Group SNNS.L FY results
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
LIVE/
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines PRESS/GB