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Feb 14 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening 13points lower at 7,178 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, while FTSE100 futures were up 0.18 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* LANCASHIRE: Property and casualty insurer Lancashire Holdings Ltdswung to profit in 2018, partly helped by a rise in gross written premiums, andsaid it expects to see higher rates across many of its businesses.
* MICRO FOCUS: British software firm Micro Focus Internationalreported a better-than-expected 5.3 percent decline in pro-forma revenue for theyear to end-October and said the trajectory, after disposals, would continue toimprove.
* RESTAURANT GROUP: Restaurant Group Plc said on Thursday its ChiefExecutive Andy McCue has decided to leave the company due to 'extenuatingpersonal circumstances'.
* COCA COLA HBC AG: Soft drink bottler Coca Cola HBC AG reported a9.6 percent rise in full-year comparable core profit, boosted by higher volumesand lower costs.
* ASTRAZENECA: British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc beat expectationsfor product sales in the fourth quarter and forecast a second consecutive yearof growth, driven by gains in emerging markets including China and demand forits new cancer medicines.
* MONEYSUPERMARKET.COM: British price comparison websiteMoneysupermarket.Com Group Plc said its chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brownwould step down after nearly a decade at the helm.
* CONVATEC: Catheter and colostomy bag maker ConvaTec played downthe risks of even a no-deal Brexit to its business on Thursday, saying it wasmaking plans to stock pile appropriately to deal with any potential supplydisruptions.
* ASHMORE: Emerging markets-focused fund manager Ashmore posted onThursday a 3.8 percent increase in assets under management on the back of netinflows and said the outlook was positive.
* INDIVIOR: Drugmaker Indivior Plc reported a rise in full-yearoperating profit on Thursday, helped by lower operating expenses as it bracesfor the launch of cheaper copies of its blockbuster drug Suboxone after a longpatent battle in U.S. courts.
* GOLD: Gold prices edged higher on Thursday as soft U.S. inflation dataraised expectations that the Federal Reserve will pause rate hikes this year,while investors were looking for developments in trade talks between Washingtonand Beijing.
* OIL: Oil prices rose on Thursday, buoyed by hopes that potential progressin the latest Sino-U.S. tariff talks would improve the global economic outlook,and as China's trade figures including crude imports beat forecasts.
* EX-DIVS: BP, Hargreaves, RDS A, Royal Dutch Shell, Unilever will tradewithout entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 19.7points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations
* The UK blue chip index closed 0.8 percent higher on Wednesday, as minersgained and upbeat earnings lifted packaging firms DS Smith and Smurfit Kappa,while reports Brexit could be delayed eased some fears of a disruptive no-dealexit.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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* For Top News : http://topnews.reuters.com(Reporting by Samantha Machado in Bengaluru)
