UK Stocks-Factors to watch on November 20

Nov 20 (Reuters) - Britain’s FTSE 100 (.FTSE) index is seen opening higher on Thursday, with futures (FFIc1) up 0.7%. * BP: BP (BP.L) on Wednesday said it shut down the 400-mile Olympic Pipeline following a leak, halting fuel delivery from the system. * HSBC: HSBC (HSBA.L) has appointed Steve Hughes as CEO and head of banking for Australia and New Zealand, effective January 1, 2026, a company spokesperson said on Thursday. * CONSUMER SENTIMENT: British consumers’ optimism about the economy and their own finances recorded its sharpest fall this month since April, when many household bills increased and U.S. President Donald Trump announced wide-ranging tariffs on imports from Britain. * COMMODITIES: Oil prices edged up, gold prices edged lower, and copper rose on Thursday. EX-DIVS: National Grid (NG.L) , Vodafone Group (VOD.L) , Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust PLC (SMT.L) , DCC PLC (DCC.L) will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday. * FTSE: London’s FTSE 100 slipped for the fifth consecutive session on Wednesday, with defence and financial stocks leading the downturn, while inflation data bolstered expectations for a December interest rate reduction. UK CORPORATE DIARY: JD Sports (JD.L) Q3 trading update Dr Martens (DOCS.L) HY results Johnson Matthey (JMAT.L) HY results Liontrust Asset (LIO.L) HY results Management Halma (HLMA.L) HY results Nationwide Building (NBS.L) HY results Society Mitie (MTO.L) HY results CMC Markets (CMCX.L) HY results Grainger (GRI.L) FY results LondonMetric Property (LMPL.L) HY results 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)