* ROYAL MAIL: Royal Mail's parent could announce the UK postal services firm's CEO Simon Thompson's exit as soon as this week, Sky News reported on Monday.
* STANDARD CHARTERED: Standard Chartered Chief
Executive Bill Winters said on Monday he sees a big recession in
the United States as unlikely, although a period of negative
growth was possible.
* RETAIL: British retail sales growth held steady in April
but high inflation meant shoppers were getting less for their
money, and unsettled weather discouraged many from buying summer
clothes, a British Retail Consortium survey showed.
* OIL: Oil prices fell on Tuesday, relinquishing some of the
strong gains in the previous two sessions while the market
remained cautious ahead of U.S. inflation figures for April,
which will be key to the Federal Reserve's next interest rate
decision.
* GOLD: Gold prices flitted in a narrow range on Tuesday
ahead of U.S. inflation data, which investors will scrutinise
for clues on the Federal Reserve's policy path.
* Gains in financial and energy shares helped lift the UK's
FTSE 100 on Friday, in a roller-coaster week marked by interest
rate hikes from major central banks as well as renewed concerns
about the U.S. banking system.
* UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Treatt Interim results
Kosmos Energy Q1 results
Direct Line Q1 trading update
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times > Other business headlines (Reporting by Muhammed Husain in Bengaluru)
