(Adds company news, futures)
April 19 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is expected to open 26 points lower on Wednesday, according to financial spreadbetters, with futures FFIc1 down 0.4 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* ALLIED MINDS: Top shareholder Invesco Perpetual has trimmed its stake in technology incubator Allied Minds ALML.L for the second time in as many weeks, according to regulatory filings. FENNER: British engineering company Fenner Plc FENR.L said on Wednesday it saw full-year operating profit above its previous expectations, helped by new product development and a bigger market share. HENDERSON: Asset manager Henderson Group HGGH.L on Wednesday posted a 2.1 percent first-quarter rise in assets under management as market and currency gains more than offset outflows from both retail and institutional clients from its funds. POLYMETAL: Russian gold and silver producer Polymetal POLYP.L said on Wednesday its first-quarter revenue had risen by 4 percent year-on-year to $298 million due to higher production and higher gold prices. ASSOCIATED BRITISH FOODS: Associated British Foods ABF.L on Wednesday reported a 36 percent rise in first-half profit, driven by a recovery at its sugar business and a resilient performance at Primark, its discount fashion retailer. BURBERRY: British luxury brand Burberry BRBY.L reported a slight slowdown in its fourth-quarter comparable sales growth rate, as tough conditions in the United States weighed on an "exceptional" performance in its home market. British companies plan to increase their spending on advertising this year as they expect the UK economy to remain resilient despite the Brexit vote, a survey showed on Wednesday, reversing a previous forecast for a decline in ad budgets. Oil prices dipped on Wednesday as bloated U.S. supplies weighed on markets while a fall in Saudi crude exports was offset by rising production in the country. Brent crude futures LCOc1 were at $54.77 per barrel at 0354 GMT. London copper CMCU3 held close to its weakest since January on Wednesday, on concerns China's base metals demand could temper in the coming quarter as Beijing acts on runaway property prices, and following a wobble in steel. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange CMCU3 rebounded by 1.4 percent to $5649 a tonne by 0220 GMT. Gold slipped on Wednesday as the dollar recovered a bit from a three-week low hit in the previous session, but geopolitical concerns about North Korea and nervousness ahead of the French presidential election lent support to the safe-haven asset. Spot gold XAU= was down 0.2 percent to $1,286.40 per ounce as of 0314 GMT. The FTSE 100 .FTSE dropped 2.5 percent on Tuesday to its lowest in nearly 10 weeks as sterling inched higher, further weighing on the index's stocks. British shares suffered their worst day's drop since the aftermath of last June's Brexit referendum, after Prime Minister Theresa May said she would call an early election. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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