(Corrects bullet 2 to say Standard Chartered retained, not
raised, its earnings target)
       Feb 21 - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen
opening lower on Friday, with futures FFIc1 down 0.08%.

    * BOE: British consumers turned a little less pessimistic
this month as the Bank of England's latest interest rate cut led
to an improvement in expectations for their household finances,
according to a survey.
    * STANDARD CHARTERED: Standard Chartered STAN.L announced
a $1.5 billion share buyback and an earnings target that it
retained, after reporting its annual profit rose 18% on the back
of record growth in its wealth business and strong markets
performance.
    * ABRDN: Abrdn ABDN.L is in advanced talks with Citic Bank
601998.SS to launch an asset management joint venture in
China, two people with knowledge of the matter said, as the
British firm looks to bolster its presence in the world's
second-largest economy.
    * LABOUR: The number of job postings in the United Kingdom
rose for the first time in seven months in January, a survey by
the Recruitment & Employment Confederation showed, suggesting
the country's jobs market might be weathering the hit from
higher taxes on employers. 
    * ELECTRICITY: Britain's electricity distribution network is
facing a fundamental role change to deliver the country's net
zero emissions target, requiring more proactive investments, a
report from a government-appointed commission found.
    * OIL: Oil prices extended gains, headed for a weekly
increase. 
    * GOLD: Gold prices remained steady on Friday.
    * METAL: London copper eased on Friday.
    * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed down 0.57% on
Thursday on a mixed bag of corporate earnings. 

    * UK CORPORATE DIARY:   
 Pantheon              PANI.L    Half Year Earnings Release 
 International PLC                 
 Hargreaves Lansdown   HRGV.L    Half Year Earnings Release 
 PLC                               
 NCC Group PLC         NCCG.L    Half Year Earnings Release 
 
    * 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

 (Compiled by Simone Lobo in Bengaluru)
 ((Simone.Lobo@thomsonreuters.com; +919920570373;))