June 26 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen

opening lower on Friday, with futures down 0.8%.

* FOOD EXPORTS: British food and drink exports fell 8.9%

year-on-year in volume terms in the first quarter of 2026,

dropping to their lowest level in a decade, excluding the height

of the COVID pandemic, the industry's lobby said.

* OIL: Crude prices sank 2% and were headed for steep weekly

losses amid easing supply concerns as more stranded oil tankers

exited the Strait of Hormuz, even though a cargo vessel was hit

near Oman on Thursday.

* METALS: Copper is on track to post a weekly loss, weighed down

by a strong dollar and continued macroeconomic concerns, though

dip buying limited the decline.

* GOLD: Gold was set for a fourth straight weekly fall, as a

resilient dollar and expectations of faster U.S. rate hikes to

tame inflation kept bullion pressured below $4,000 per ounce.

* FTSE: London's main FTSE indexes gained on Thursday, with

financial and retail companies posting strong business updates,

while easyJet attracted investor interest by keeping the door

open to a Castlelake buyout.

* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please

click on:

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times

> Other business headlines

(Compiled by Neeshita Beura in Bengaluru)