Factors to watch on March 5

March 5 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening higher on Wednesday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.73%.

* TARIFFS: UK's finance minister Rachel Reeves said she was hopeful of securing a trade deal with the U.S. to avoid possible trade tariffs, but warned Britain was still likely to be hurt by duties imposed on other countries.

APPLE: Apple AAPL.O has filed a legal complaint to overturn a British government order to create a "back door" in its most secure cloud storage systems, the Financial Times reported.

RIO TINTO: London-based hedge fund Palliser Capital welcomed Rio Tinto's RIO.AX, RIO.L decision to allow the company's Australian shareholders to vote on a resolution that seeks an independent review of its dual-listing status.

* FLUTTER: Flutter FLTRF.L, the world's largest online betting company, said it expects to increase its core profit by around 34%, driven again by its fast-growing U.S. brand FanDuel.

* OIL: Oil fell for a third session as plans by major producers to raise output in April combined with concerns U.S. tariffs hammered investor sentiment.

GOLD: Gold edged lower on firmer U.S. dollar and Treasury yields, while markets continued to track the possible impact of fresh U.S. tariffs.

The UK blue-chip index .FTSE fell 1.3% from all-time highs on Tuesday as growing trade tensions between the U.S and its main trading partners hammered global sentiment.

UK CORPORATE DIARY:

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