News: SVM UK Stocks-Factors to watch on July 17

July 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening lower on Monday, with futures FFIc1 down 0.44%.

• RIO TINTO: Australia's Sovereign Metals (SVM) said on Monday global miner Rio Tinto RIO.L agreed to buy a 15% stake in the company and work closely with it to develop a rutile and graphite project in Malawi.
• GROCERY PRICING: British consumer group Which? has urged the government to take action to support households when the competition watchdog publishes its review of grocery pricing, saying some food prices have jumped by as much as 175% since 2021.
• INFLATION: Finance executives at top British firms have turned more cautious in the face of high inflation and rising interest rates and they expect a slowdown in hiring and pay growth, a survey showed on Monday.
• HOUSE PRICES: Asking prices for residential homes in Britain fell in July as rising mortgage costs and increasing buyer affordability constraints prompted sellers to temper their price expectations, an industry survey showed on Monday.
• OIL: Oil prices extended their decline into a second session on Monday after China's economic data showed growth slowed in the second quarter, fuelling concern about demand in the world's No. 2 oil consumer as Libya resumed production over the weekend.
• GOLD: Gold prices edged lower on Monday as the dollar inched up, although investors largely bet on the U.S. Federal Reserve hitting the brakes soon on interest rate hikes.
• Britain's FTSE 100 edged lower on Friday as a drop in oil stocks outweighed gains in industrials, while the index logged weekly gains on optimism about interest rates peaking in the U.S.
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