London pre-open: Shares seen higher

London's top stocks look set to start the last trading day of the week on a positive note, with traders expecting Footsie to add about 10 points early on.Part-nationalised lender Lloyds Banking will be profitable on a combined businesses basis in 2010, chief executive Eric Daniels claimed Friday. In a short statement ahead of a presentation at the Morgan Stanley European Financials Conference later today, Daniels said trading in the first 10 weeks of 2010 had been "strong".Miner Rio Tinto and Chinese-run aluminium firm Chinalco have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a joint venture covering the development and operation of the Simandou iron ore project in Guinea. The deal is the latest sign that the two companies have patched up the differences caused by last year's collapse of their planned tie-up.Chip designer Imagination Technologies said it has continued to see growing interest in its technologies across many partners and markets in the period from 1 November 2009 to 19 March 2010. So far this financial year, the group has concluded a number of licensing agreements and is currently progressing a 'significant' number of 'sizable' agreements with both existing and new partners. Blacks Leisure has rejected an indicative 62p bid from rival sportswear group Sports Direct and is to revive its fund raising plans. In a statement, Blacks said the offer for Sports Direct contained a number of pre-conditions, which included a unanimous board recommendation. The board, though, considers the offer to be "wholly inadequate".Elsewhere, last minute talks between British Airways and the Unite trade union are continuing today to avert tomorrow's three-day strike.