News: RIO UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Jan 18

(Updates futures, adds news items)

Jan 18 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index .FTSE is expected to open lower on Thursday, with futures FFIc1 down 0.03%.

• CURRYS: British electricals retailer Currys CURY.L forecast full-year profit ahead of market expectations.
• IDS: Britain's International Distributions Services IDSI.L said it

  enjoyed

  its best Christmas in four years in 2023.

• DUNELM: Britain's Dunelm Group DNLM.L

  forecast

  its annual profit to be in-line with market expectations.

• SAINSBURY: British supermarket Sainsbury's SBRY.L said it would

  wind

  down its own banking business and instead offer financial products through third parties.

• ENERGEAN: Oil and gas producer Energean's ENOG.L full-year

  profit

  more than doubled, with annual production in-line with its forecast, the Mediterranean-focused firm said.

• FLUTTER: Online betting giant Flutter FLTRF.L

  posted

  a 15% rise in fourth-quarter revenue.

• CRANSWICK: British meat producer Cranswick CWK.L

  forecast

  annual profit ahead of its previous expectation.

• HOME REIT: UK's Home REIT HOMEH.L , a housing

  provider

  for the homeless, appointed Michael O'Donnell as chair.

• WATCHES OF SWITZERLAND: Luxury watches retailer Watches of Switzerland WOSG.L

  slashed

  its annual revenue guidance.

• HIPGNOSIS: Struggling British music investor Hipgnosis Songs Fund SONG.L said it had called for an extraordinary shareholder meeting to vote on a special resolution.
• HOUSING: The downturn in Britain's housing market eased last month.
• METAL: Copper prices rose in London on Thursday, rebounding from a six-week low hit in the previous session.
• GOLD: Gold prices hovered near five-week lows on Thursday.
• OIL: Oil prices edged higher on Thursday.
• FTSE 100: Britain's FTSE 100 hit a seven-week low on Wednesday.
• For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:

  TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times > Other business headlines