Aug 12 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening seven points lower at 6,148 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures (FFIc1) up 0.2% ahead of cash markets open.
ECONOMY: Britain's economy shrank by a record 20.4% between April and June, the largest contraction reported by any major economy so far, according to official figures.
AVAST: Avast (AVST.L) expects annual organic revenue to grow at the upper end of its forecast after a strong first half, underpinned by the work-from-home trend.
ADMIRAL: Admiral (ADML.L) posted higher first-half profit as motor claims dropped with Britons staying off roads during strict coronavirus lockdowns in March and April.
M&G: Insurer and asset manager M&G recorded a 57% fall in first-half operating profit.
ASOS: Online fashion retailer ASOS (ASOS.L) forecast full year sales and profit significantly ahead of market expectations, saying it was benefiting from stronger than anticipated underlying demand.
BALFOUR BEATTY: Balfour Beatty (BALF.L) reported a pretax loss for the first half, as the COVID-19 crisis forced it to halt construction work at its projects in March and April.
JUST GROUP: Just Group Plc appointed John Hastings-Bass as its new chairman to succeed Chris Gibson-Smith.
BRITISH AIRWAYS: British Airways has agreed to a deal with trade unions representing parts of its workforce in Heathrow over planned job cuts, with the airline's chief executive saying significant progress had been made in a message to staff on Tuesday.
BUDGET: Rishi Sunak is weighing options to shelve his autumn budget if Britain is hit by a big second wave of the coronavirus, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
OIL: Oil prices moved higher after an industry report showed that U.S. inventories of crude fell more than analysts had expected, bolstering hopes that fuel demand in the world's biggest economy can weather the coronavirus pandemic.
GOLD: Gold fell below the $1,900 per ounce level as a resurgent dollar prompted investors to reassess their positions after a record-breaking price rally.
METAL: Copper prices fell as traders turned anxious over mounting uncertainty about additional U.S. fiscal stimulus to help boost a pandemic-ravaged economy.
The UK blue-chip index (.FTSE) added 1.6% on Tuesday, tracking gains in Asia and on Wall Street on relief that a U.S.-China spat appeared not to have spilled over into trade.
UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Spirax-Sarco Engineering (SPX.L) HY Results
Capital & Counties Properties (CAPCC.L) HY Results
CLS Holdings (CLSH.L) HY Results
Balfour Beatty (BALF.L) HY Results
Admiral Group (ADML.L) HY Results
Empresaria Group (EMPR.L) HY Results
Avast (AVST.L) HY Results
Impact Healthcare REIT (IHR.L) HY Results