March 19 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 50 points lower at 6,730 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.
* THOMSON REUTERS: Thomson Reuters Corp TRI.TO and members of Refinitiv's management plan will indirectly sell about 10.5 million voting shares in London Stock Exchange Group LSEG.L , joint bookrunner J.P. Morgan Securities said in a statement on Thursday. ASTRAZENECA: The EU's drug watchdog said on Thursday it is still convinced the benefits of AstraZeneca's AZN.L COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks following an investigation into reports of blood clots that prompted more than a dozen nations to suspend its use. ASDA: The chief executive of Asda, Roger Burnley, will leave the British supermarket chain next year, it said on Thursday. CONSUMER SENTIMENT: British consumer morale struck a one-year high this month as the public became increasingly confident that an economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is approaching and that they would benefit directly, a survey showed. GOLD: Gold prices fell as the dollar held onto its gains from the previous sessions on the back of rising U.S. Treasury yields. OIL: Oil prices edged up as a new wave of COVID-19 infections across Europe spurred fresh lockdowns and dampened hopes that an anticipated recovery in fuel demand would come soon. The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.3% higher on Thursday, with bank stocks providing the biggest boost after a spike in Treasury yields. UK CORPORATE DIARY: JD Wetherspoon
HY results Sanne Group
FY results
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times
PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines
PRESS/GB