UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Thursday June 21
21/06/2012 at 07:38
Adds further UK corporate news and economic items
LONDON, June 21 Reuters - * Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening down 21 to 26 points, or 0.38 to 0.47 percent lower on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, click on
* The UK blue chip index closed up 35.98 points, or 0.6 percent, to 5,622.29 points on Wednesday.
* The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday delivered another round of monetary stimulus and said it was ready to do even more to help an increasingly fragile U.S. economic recovery.
* Asian stocks slipped and commodities fell broadly on Thursday after the Federal Reserve disappointed some investors with only a limited expansion of monetary stimulus and a survey showed China's vast factory sector slowed for an eighth month running.
* Japan's Nikkei hit a 5 week-closing high, as sentiment was buoyed by a softer yen after the U.S. Federal Reserve held back from more aggressive stimulus steps to prop up the economy.
* The euro
* In Britain, retail sales figures are due to be published at 0830 GMT while U.S. jobless claims and euro zone manufacturing data are also due .
UK CORPORATE NEWS:
* DIXONS RETAIL : Profits fall but company made a good start to the new financial year.
* INVENSYS : British engineer said on Thursday it had held preliminary discussions about a takeover with third parties including Emerson Electric but that the talks had come to an end with no offer.
* GO-AHEAD : Expects a tough 2012/2013 for its rail division.
* ASHTEAD : Industrial equipment hire company's profits beat expectations and it also raised forecasts.
* MICRO FOCUS : Profits rose 30 percent.
* HELICAL BAR : Appointed a new chairman and finance director.
* AMEC : In collaboration deal with Norway's Aibel.
* SEVERN TRENT : Launched 10-year bond.
* FAIRPOINT : Expects profits to beat market forecasts.
* XSTRATA : The global mining company has put up for sale a stake in the Frieda River copper project in Papua New Guinea, potentially worth more than $2 billion, as part of a review of its development projects worldwide.
* ANGLO AMERICAN : Global miner Anglo American AAL.L and Chilean state copper giant Codelco will seek to extend their self-imposed deadline for talks in a bid to resolve their spat over disputed copper assets, a source linked to Codelco's legal team told Reuters.
* BP : Mikhail Fridman, the Russian billionaire, has been meeting institutional investors in London to canvas support for his plan to buy half of BP's stake in TNK-BP , the Financial Times reported.
* ICAP : ICAP plans to challenge exchanges NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Boerse by moving into futures trading after it finally completes its controversial purchase of PLUS Stock Exchange on Thursday.
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times
> Other business headlines
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Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Alison Williams
sudip.kargupta@thomsonreuters.com+44 207 542 2773Reuters Messaging: sudip.kargupta.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net
Keywords: MARKETS BRITAIN FACTORS/