UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Jan 17
Jan 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening higher on Friday, with futures up 0.47%. * GLENCORE: Glencore approached Rio Tinto late last year about combining the two big copper producers but the discussions are no longer active, a person familiar with the matter said. * SCHRODERS: Schroders is planning to lay off about 3% of its workforce, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing a person familiar with the matter. * OIL: Oil prices climbed, heading for a fourth weekly gain, driven by concerns over tighter supply following U.S. sanctions on Russian oil producers and signals from a Federal Reserve official of potential interest rate cuts. * METALS: Base metals rose, as support from a softer dollar and expectations of further U.S. rate cuts was partially offset by uncertainty over potential tariffs from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. * GOLD: Gold held firm near a five-week high and was set for a third straight week of gains, as U.S. inflation data released earlier this week raised expectation that the Federal Reserve might cut interest rates further this year. * Britain's FTSE 100 closed at a near eight-month high on Thursday, as investors cheered upbeat earnings and signs of cooling inflation that could keep major central banks on track for further interest rate cuts. * UK CORPORATE DIARY: Big Yellow Group BYG.L Q3 Results DFS Furniture Interim trading update * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times > Other business headlines (Reporting by Raechel Thankam Job)
