Nov 24 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen...

Nov 24 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening down 4 points, on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.

• The UK blue chip index ended flat on Wednesday after a choppy day, with individual sectors diverging as finance minister Philip Hammond delivered the biggest economic update since Britain voted in June to leave the European Union.
• BRITAIN BUDGET: Britain has ramped up its borrowing outlook by much more than expected after forecasters said its vote to leave the European Union would hurt the economy, giving the government only a little room to ease looming pressure on households and firms.
• RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto (RIO) RIO.L on Thursday outlined plans to boost free cash flow by $5 billion over the next five years by sweating its assets harder while expanding in iron ore, copper and bauxite.
• RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto (RIO) RIO.L Chief Executive Jean-Sébastien Jacques said on Thursday that issues raised by the disclosure of payments in Guinea in 2011 were "very challenging", in his first public appearance since the scandal erupted.
• RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto (RIO) , RIO.L would not hesitate to cut its iron ore production if that would help boost its free cash flow and the company is not chasing market share, its chief executive said on Thursday.
• DEUTSCHE BOERSE/LSE: The finance chief of Deutsche Boerse DB1Gn.DE warned on Wednesday rivals in the United States and China would become dominant if the German group's planned merger with the London Stock Exchange LSE.L was blocked by European regulators.
• BRITAIN AUTOS: Britain made fewer cars last month for the first time in more than a year, driven by slower domestic demand and prompting the industry's lobby group to renew its call for the government to maintain free trade as Britain leaves the European Union.
• BRITAIN BONDS: Long-dated gilt yields rocketed on Wednesday after British finance minister Philip Hammond ramped up his forecasts for government borrowing in Britain's first budget update to count the cost of voting to leave the European Union.
• STERLING: Sterling surged to a 10-week high against the euro and resisted the dramatic falls against the dollar suffered by other major currencies after a UK budget read as doing more than had been expected to bolster growth in years to come.
• BRITAIN IMMIGRATION: The British government will have to borrow an extra 16 billion pounds ($20 billion) over the next five years to make up for the impact of lower immigration following the Brexit vote, Britain's independent budget forecasters said on Wednesday.
• LONDON COPPER: London copper and zinc prices pushed up on Thursday amid a wider rally in metals, with investors allocating more money to commodities in expectation of U.S. inflation and on signs of growing strength in the U.S. manufacturing sector.
• EX-DIVS: Carnival CCL.L , DCC DCC.L , Johnson Matthey JMAT.L , Mediclinic MDCM.L , National Grid NG.L and Vodafone Group VOD.L will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 7 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations
• For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
• UK CORPORATE DIARY: Marston's Plc MARS.L Full Year 2016 Earnings Release Euromoney ERM.L Full Year 2016 Earnings Release Mothercare Plc MTC.L Half Year 2017 Earnings Release Countrywide Plc CWD.L Q3 Interim Management Statement

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