Jan 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen...

Jan 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 13 points higher at 7,623 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.

• RIO: Rio Tinto (RIO) RIO.L posted a 3% drop in iron ore shipments in 2019 as the Anglo-Australian miner's operations faced disruptions due to cyclone and a fire at a port facility.
• IAG: IAG's ICAG.L British Airways flights can pump out more carbon emissions per passenger than rival airlines on certain routes, according to the consumer group "Which?"
• GOLD: Gold edged lower, on track to post its worst week in two months, as positive U.S. economic data and optimism over an interim U.S.-China trade deal boosted appetite for riskier assets and dented some of bullion's allure.

• OIL: Oil prices were steady as reports of sluggish economic growth in China, the world's biggest crude importer, raised concerns about future fuel demand and countered optimism from the signing of the Sino-U.S. trade deal earlier in the week.
• METAL: London copper traded little changed after falling in the previous two sessions ahead of the release of data from China that is expected to show that growth in the world's second-biggest economy slowed in 2019.
• Underwhelming trading updates from Pearson Plc PSON.L and Whitbread Plc WTB.L broke a three-day winning run for London's main index on Thursday, while investors exercised caution amid a lack of clarity on some elements of the U.S.-China trade deal.
• UK CORPORATE DIARY:

  Experian EXPN.L Q3 Trading Update Premier Foods PFG.L Q3 Trading Update

  Workspace WKP.L Q3 Interim Management Statement

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