UK Stocks-Factors to watch on July 27

July 27 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening 20points higher at 7,684 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers. * BHP-BP: BP Plc has agreed to buy U.S. shale oil and gas assets fromglobal miner BHP Billiton, for $10.5 billion, expanding theBritish oil major's footprint in oil-rich onshore basins in its biggest deal innearly 20 years. * MELROSE: British turnaround firm Melrose is considering a seriesof sales of GKN businesses after clinching an 8 billion pound ($10.5 billion)hostile takeover of the aerospace and automotive parts supplier earlier thisyear, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. * CENKOS SECURITIES: Activist investor Crystal Amber has toldLondon-based stockbroker Cenkos Securities' chairman to put thebusiness up for sale, Sky News reported on Thursday. * GOLD: Gold prices edged up on Friday but stayed close to one-year lows,with investors waiting for data later in the day on U.S. economic growth. * OIL: Oil prices slipped on Friday in quiet trading after three days ofgains, but took support from Saudi Arabia halting crude transport through a keyshipping lane, falling U.S. inventories and easing trade tensions betweenWashington and Europe. * The UK blue chip FTSE 100 index ended up 0.06 percent at 7,663.17points on Thursday, as a drop in heavyweight oil stocks weighed on the index,which lagged a broader rally across European stocks as U.S.-EU trade tensionsthawed. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets * UK CORPORATE DIARY: Jupiter Fund Management Half Year 2018 Earnings Release Reckitt Benckiser Half Year 2018 Earnings Release BT Group PLC Q1 2019 Trading Statement Release Pearson PLC Half Year 2018 Earnings Release Rightmove PLC Half Year 2018 Earnings Release TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times > Other business headlines (Reporting by Siju Varghese)