UK Stocks-Factors to watch on February 18

Feb 18 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening flat on Tuesday, with futures FFIc1 down 0.02%.

MOTOR FINANCE: The UK Supreme Court rejected a move by finance minister Rachel Reeves to intervene in a landmark case on car loan mis-selling.

HSBC: HSBC HSBA.L, 0005.HK has laid off around 40 investment bankers in Hong Kong as part of the bank's global restructuring, according to one source with direct knowledge of the matter.

VENTURE GLOBAL LNG: Long-term customers including Shell SHEL.L and BP BP.L have been notified that after a two-year dispute Venture Global LNG VG.N will begin commercial operations at its Calcasieu Pass plant in Louisiana on April 15.

OIL: Oil prices strengthened as an attack on an oil pipeline pumping station in the Caspian Sea slowed flows from Kazakhstan, while investors monitored developments of a possible Moscow-Kiev ceasefire agreement that could ease sanctions and increase global supplies.

GOLD: Gold extended gains as uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff plans continued to dominate sentiment, driving safe-haven demand amid fears of a potential global trade war.

METAL: Copper traded in a narrow price range as traders rolled forward positions ahead of a contract expiry this week and market attention shifted towards U.S. efforts to end Russia's nearly three-year war in Ukraine.

The UK blue-chip index .FTSE up 0.4% on Monday, supported by aerospace and defence stocks.

UK CORPORATE DIARY:

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