UK Stocks - Factors to watch on Oct 26

 

Britain's FTSE 100 is seen opening little changed on Monday holding onto gains set the previous session, with higher stocks in Asia seen reassuring investors after a sharp decline on Wall Street on Friday.

The blue-chip index is seen opening 2-3 points higher after it closed up 35.21 points on Friday at 5,4242.57, shrugging off a shock fall in UK GDP data.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei rose 0.8 percent to hit its highest close in four weeks on Monday, lifted by exporters such as Honda Motor Co ona weaker yen, while Kawasaki Heavy jumped on a report of a high-speed rail project in China.

But on Friday U.S. stocks fell as industrial companies' weak results overshadowed robust earnings from tech and retail heavyweights.

* US STOCKS-Wall St falls on weak industrials;

* Nikkei rises 1 pct on weak yen, earnings hopes

* TREASURIES - Strong home sales, supply, rate worries weigh

* Dollar falls to 14-mth low vs euro on China report

* PRECIOUS-Gold inches up as dollar retreats against euro

* METALS - Copper seen steady, dlr, oil may weigh

* Oil falls below $80 on economic recovery concerns

UK stocks to watch on Monday are:

BANKS

British banks must give breakdowns of bonuses by the end of the week or they will need to use the cash to beef up reserves, the Sunday Times reported quoting Adair Turner, head of Britain's banking regulator.

British retail banks should be stopped from paying big cash bonuses and use the money instead to support new lending according to the text of a speech to be given by the opposition Conservatives' finance spokesman on Monday.

BP

The oil major's incoming chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg, will lead a shake-up of the oil giant's boardroom when he takes over, the Sunday Times reported.

Separately, BP was due to sign a deal with Jordan on Sunday to explore for natural gas reserves in the small Rish field near the border with Iraq, companyand government officials said on Saturday.

STANDARD LIFE

The insurer is not looking at selling off its under performing Canadian business according to a source, despite a newspaper report saying that it had asked its advisors to review the unit.

ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND

The bank is planning to scale back its involvement in the government's asset protection scheme, media reports said on Saturday.

LLOYDS BANKING GROUP

The bank's private equity unit LDC is in talks to acquire legal outsourcing company CPA Global for 400 million pounds ($666 million), the Financial Times reported on Monday.

MCBRIDE

The company releases a trading update.