UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Feb 19

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening 8 points

higher at 7,228 on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers.

* RECKITT BENCKISER: British consumer goods group Reckitt Benckiser

reported higher-than-expected sales growth on Monday, helped by improvements in

both its health and home and hygiene businesses and lifting its shares to a

two-month high.

* BARCLAYS: Barclays will host more than 100 clinics for small

business customers in March to help them to prepare for Britain's exit from the

European Union at the end of that month, the bank said on Tuesday.

* HSBC: HSBC Holdings Plc posted on Tuesday an increase of 15.9

percent in 2018 profit, as the bank avoided tax writedowns that marred its

results a year earlier and earnings in its key market of Asia grew.

* GOLD: Gold prices hovered near 10-month highs on Tuesday as optimism

around U.S.-China trade discussions dimmed the dollar's appeal, while palladium

struck a record high on supply concerns.

* OIL: U.S. oil prices hit a three-month high on Tuesday, buoyed by

production cuts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting

Countries.

* The UK blue-chip index closed 0.24 percent lower on Monday, missing out on

a wider optimism surrounding the Chinese-U.S. trade talks that took world stocks

to 2-1/2-month highs.

* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:

* UK CORPORATE DIARY:

Intercontinental Holdings Plc Full year result

Bank of Georgia Group Plc Full year result

Lighthouse Group Plc Full year result

Synectics Plc Full year result

HSBC Holdings Plc Full year result

BHP Group Plc Half year result

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times

> Other business headlines

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(Reporting by Adil Bhat)