UK Stocks-Factors to watch on October 16

October 16 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening flat on Friday, with futures unchanged.

*BANKS: British finance minister John Healey said banks were central to the country's economic future when pressed by reporters about the likelihood of a windfall tax on their bumper profits in his first budget on October 28.

* AUTOMOBILE: France and Germany are nearing a deal on cars that would water down EU-wide CO2 emission targets for 2035 and open the door for Britain to be treated as a trusted partner under the EU's "Made in EU" rules, diplomats said.

*ENERGY PRICES: Soaring energy prices so far appear to be having limited wider effects on British prices, but it is too soon to draw firm conclusions about how strong such second-round effects will be, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey.

*OIL: Oil prices eased but were heading for weekly gains on the uncertainty over Middle East supplies and a larger-than-expected crude stocks draw in the United States.

*GOLD: Gold edged higher as the dollar weakened, but the metal was still on track for a small weekly loss as investors weighed signals from the Federal Reserve on interest rates.

*METALS: London copper firmed but was headed for a weekly loss, tracking sentiment in AI-related stocks, while aluminium was on track for a fourth straight weekly decline.

* FTSE: London's blue-chip stocks closed at a seven-week high on Thursday after the finance minister reaffirmed the government's commitment to fiscal discipline.

* UK CORPORATE DIARY:

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

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