FTSE preview: Shares flat; Anglo reports
The FTSE 100 index is seen opening flat, hovering near levels last seen in May 2008, following modest gains on Wall Street, with results from mining firm Anglo American likely to fall under the spotlight.
Friday feeling: There is little to drive shares today.
The UK blue chip index looks set to open down 1 to up 2 points, according to financial bookmakers, after it closed 2.11 points higher at 6,087.38 on Thursday - having broken through the 6,100 level to hit a fresh 2011 intra-day high of 6,101.42.
'As expected, buying dried up once the psychological 6,100.00 price was penetrated,' Enis Mehmet, an analyst at Autochartist, said.
'Despite the existence of a solid uptrend, the tendency has been for volume and volatility to dry up at new highs, suggesting that investors still favour buying dips.'
On the domestic economic data front, UK January retail sales data and the Bank of England January Trends in Lending survey are both due.
Traders said investors were likely to adopt a cautious stance as a two-day G20 meeting takes place in Paris, starting on Friday, and as tensions escalate in the Middle East.
The world's top central bankers will take centre stage on Friday ahead of the G20 meeting which appears set to struggle to make headway on an ambitious French agenda.
The monetary policy chiefs of the United States, euro zone, China, Japan and Britain will share a public platform in Paris, with their notable policy differences and worries about resurgent inflation of key interest to financial markets.
Parts of the Middle East and North Africa were set for renewed displays of public anger towards their governments on Friday, with the focus on Bahrain and Libya as protesters bury people killed in recent clashes.
No major US economic data is scheduled for release on Friday.
The board of Russia's TNK-BP is waiting for its management's proposal on a role in shareholder BP Plc's partnership with state oil company Rosneft, sources close to the board said.
Ireland's Greencore has teamed up with a private equity firm in an effort to top chicken tycoon Ranjit Boparan's takeover of the food manufacturer, the Daily Telegraph said.
The Daily Mail Market Daily Express market reports said talk swirled of revived bid interest for food ingredients firm Tate & Lyle from private US firm Cargill.
Talked swirled of bid interest for RSA from an overseas suitor, with the Daily Mail and Daily Express market reports naming Zurich Financial Services and German giant Allianz as potential 190-200 pence-a-share bidders, citing traders.
There will be results today from Anglo American, Rentokil Initial, Go-Ahead and Charter International.
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