Feb 1 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 6 points higher at 6,978 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.
* BT GROUP: BT Group's BT.L outgoing CEO Gavin Patterson said he was handing over a company with the momentum needed to see through a major restructuring and withstand pressures ranging from demands from regulators to aggressive competition in consumer broadband. EUROMONEY INSTITUTIONAL: British business-to-business information provider Euromoney Institutional Investor Plc ERM.L said on Thursday it had named Leslie Van de Walle as non-executive chairman effective March 1. GOLD: Gold held firm on Friday near nine-month highs touched in the previous session on the back of a pause in U.S. interest rate hikes, although optimism about a Sino-U.S. trade deal boosted risk appetite, capping gains. OIL: Oil prices held steady on Friday, torn between hopes the United States and China could soon settle their trade disputes and new data raising fresh concerns over China's economic slowdown. The UK blue chip index closed 0.39 percent up at 6,968.85 on Thursday, as stellar earnings from Shell (LON:RDSa) and Diageo (LON:DGE) helped cushion losses in banks and growing concerns over Europe's economic health. UK CORPORATE DIARY: Euromoney Institutional ERM.L
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