Feb 23 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100  .FTSE  index is seen opening 10
points higher at 6,622 on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers.

    * HSBC: HSBC Holdings PLC  HSBA.L  abandoned its long-term profitability
target, and unveiled a revised strategy focussed mainly on wealth management in
Asia and the Middle East after posting a sharp drop in annual
profit. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KT077
    * AVIVA: French mutual insurer Groupe Macif is in pole position to acquire
Aviva's  AV.L  French operations, Le Figaro reported on Monday, as the bidding
deadline set by the UK group nears. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KS2SW
    * GOLD: Gold climbed to a one-week peak, bolstered by a weaker dollar and a
retreat in U.S. Treasury yields, while concerns of rising inflation further
boosted bullion's appeal. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KT04L
    * OIL: Oil prices jumped by more than $1, underpinned by optimism over
COVID-19 vaccine rollouts and lower output as U.S. supplies were slow to return
after a deep freeze in Texas shut in crude production last week. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KT03M
    * The UK blue-chip index  .FTSE  closed 0.2% lower on Monday, but recovered
from early lows as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out a phased plan to
end England's COVID-19 lockdown, boosting travel-related stocks. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2KS410
    
    * UK CORPORATE DIARY:       
 McBride Plc                           MCB.L     HY results
 InterContinental Hotels Group Plc     IHG.L     FY results
 
    
    * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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    TODAY'S UK PAPERS
    > Financial Times                       PRESS/FT 
    > Other business headlines              PRESS/GB 

 (Reporting by Priyanshi Mandhan in Bengaluru)
 ((Priyanshi.Mandhan@thomsonreuters.com; +91 9650985606;))