News: RIO UK Stocks-Factors to watch on June 18

June 18 (Reuters) - Futures for Britain's FTSE 100 index FFIc1 were 0.06% lower on Friday.

• HSBC: HSBC HSBA.L is set to announce the sale of its retail banking operations in France to private-equity group Cerberus on Friday, three sources familiar with the matter said, after struggling to offload a business that will need restructuring.
• RIO TINTO: Indigenous Australians say a bill to protect cultural heritage in the mining state of Western Australia is flawed and should not be presented to parliament, as the state reviews laws that allowed Rio Tinto to destroy a 46,000-year-old rock shelter.
• COVID-19: British finance minister Rishi Sunak has ruled out further extension of support to businesses in England, despite the UK government forcing many to close for an extra four weeks, The Financial Times reported on Thursday.
• GOLD: Gold prices rose but were headed for their worst week since March 2020 after the U.S. Federal Reserve's hawkish message on monetary policy lifted the dollar higher and dented the safe-haven metal's appeal.
• OIL: Oil prices fell as the U.S. dollar soared on the prospect of interest rate hikes in the United States, but were nevertheless on track to finish the week flat - only slightly off multi-year highs.
• The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.4% lower on Thursday as a hawkish turn by the U.S. Federal Reserve hit commodity prices, although Britain's plans to ease travel restrictions allowed airline shares to buck the trend.
• UK CORPORATE DIARY:

  TSCO.L Tesco Trading update

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