(Adds company news items and futures)
Feb 1 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 6 points higher at 6,978 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with FTSE 100 futures .FFIc1 up 0.17 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* TalkTalk: British broadband provider TalkTalk TALK.L said attracting more customers and changing its accounting standard would cost it up to 15 million pounds ($19.7 million) this financial year, resulting in earnings falling short of analysts' expectations. GLENCORE: Miner and trader Glencore GLEN.L said on Friday cobalt production in 2018 soared 54 percent while copper output rose 11 percent due to the restart of operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. SSE Plc: British energy supplier SSE Plc SSE.L said it would sell a 49.9 percent stake in its Stronelairg and Dunmaglass wind farms to Greencoat UK Wind Plc UKWG.L and a major UK pension fund for 635 million pounds ($832.17 million. RPC Group: Plastic packaging company RPC Group Plc RPC.L said on Wednesday that quarterly operating profit was flat, compared with a year earlier and that it was increasing its stocks at manufacturing sites to prevent any disruption from Brexit. SCS GROUP: British sofa and carpet retailer ScS Group SCSS.L said on Friday it was no longer in talks for a potential deal to buy Sofa.com Ltd, days after it confirmed the talks. 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. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/
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