News: RIO UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Feb. 19

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 23 points lower at 6,594 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.

• SIGNATURE AVIATION: Carlyle Investment Management said on Thursday it would not make an offer for Signature Aviation SIGSI.L , a day after the private equity firm's unit bought the British firm's engine repairs business.
• RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto (RIO) RIO.L is willing to enter a new agreement with Mongolia to expand its Oyu Tolgoi mine as the government requested, two sources with direct knowledge told Reuters on Thursday, as both parties look to resolve an impasse over the multibillion-dollar project.
• DAILY MAIL: The owner of Britain's Daily Mail DMGOa.L newspaper said on Thursday that it has agreed to sell its EdTech business, Hobsons, in two separate transactions, for a total of about $410 million.
• CONSUMER SENTIMENT: British consumers are their most confident since the COVID-19 pandemic struck almost a year ago, buoyed by hopes that the country's fast COVID-19 vaccinations programme will boost the economy, a survey showed.
• GOLD: Gold prices fell to their lowest in more than seven months, as rising U.S. Treasury yields eroded the non-yielding bullion's appeal.
• OIL: Oil prices slid by up to 2% in early trade, on worries that refineries will take time to resume operations after the big freeze in the U.S. South, creating a gap in demand.
• The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 1.4% lower on Thursday as a set of glum earnings reports underscored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, while a stronger pound also weighed on the export-heavy index.
• UK CORPORATE DIARY: SEGRO Plc SGRO.L FY results TBC Bank Group Plc TBCG.L FY results Natwest Group Plc NWG.L FY result
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