Jan 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 24 points lower at 6,839 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* PATISSERIE: British cafe chain owner Patisserie Holdings Plc CAKEP.L said on Wednesday that it hired global consulting firm KPMG to assess options as it tries recover from an accounting scandal that cast doubt on the company's future. GOLD: Palladium rose to a record high on Thursday on lower supply and increasing demand for the metal used in auto catalysts, while a firmer dollar offset expectations of a pause in the U.S. Federal Reserve's rate-hiking cycle, keeping gold steady. OIL: Oil prices dipped on Thursday as U.S. crude production quickly approached an unprecedented 12 million barrels per day (bpd) just as worries about weakening demand emerge. EX-DIVS: Ashtead Group AHT.L , Compass Group CPG.L and SSE Plc SSE.L will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 2.9 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations The UK blue chip index closed 0.47 percent lower at 6862.68 on Wednesday, as a stronger pound lured investors toward cheap domestic companies and away from exporters after Prime Minister Theresa May's heavy Brexit defeat, while weak results weighed on Pearson. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/
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