Europe Factors-Futures signal gains; eyes on Barclays

(Recasts with futures; adds company news; updates snapshot)

PARIS, Aug 3 (Reuters) - European equities were set to rise on Monday,
tracking gains in Asia as well as in commodity prices, while investors digested
results from Barclays (BARC.L) and awaited results from HSBC (HSBA.L).

By 0625 GMT, futures for the DJ Euro Stoxx STXEc1, for Germany's DAX
FDXc1 and for France's CAC FCEc1 were up between 0.3 percent and 0.5
percent. Earlier, financial spreadbetters had expected Britain's FTSE 100
.FTSE to open 3 to 12 points higher.

Barclays fell short of expectations with an 8 percent rise in half-year
profit as bad debts at Britain's second biggest bank almost doubled to offset
record earnings for its enlarged investment bank. For details,
see:[ID:nL3593368]

Asian shares climbed to an 11-month high on Monday on rising hopes that the
global economic recovery was picking up speed. Two surveys showed Chinese
factory growth accelerating in July thanks to a revived domestic economy and
slight pick-up in demand for its exports. The China PMI from brokerage CLSA hit
a one-year peak. [ID:nBJB000642]

Energy and mining shares could benefit from rising commodity prices, with
copper hitting a 10-month high and oil rising above $70 a barrel while the
dollar fell.

The FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of top European shares fell 0.2 percent
on Friday, dragged lower by energy stocks after disappointing results from oil
majors Total (TOTF.PA) and Eni (ENI.MI).

Europe's benchmark index, up 44 percent since its March floor, has surged 14
percent over the past three weeks. But it is still down 43 percent from its
multi-year peak touched in mid-2007.

----------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT AT 0627 GMT----------------------

LAST PCT CHG NET CHG

S&P 500 .SPX 987.48 0.07 % 0.73

NIKKEI .N225 10,352.47 -0.04 % -4.36

MSCI ASIA EX-JP .MIASJ0000PUS 437.28 0.55 % 2.40

EUR/USD EUR= 1.4245 -0.18 % -0.0026

USD/JPY JPY= 94.58 -0.16 % -0.1500

10-YR US TSY YLD US10YT=RR 3.524 -- 0.04

10-YR BUND YLD EU10YT=RR 3.295 -- 0.01

SPOT GOLD XAU= $952.55 -0.14 % -$1.35

US CRUDE CLc1 $70.24 1.14 % 0.79

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

* S&P 500 sees best 5-month streak since 1938 [ID:nL3567111]

* Asia recovery lifts stocks, hits dollar [ID:nL3569212]

* Nikkei dips after 10-mth closing high, banks climb [ID:nT337874]

* Oil rises above $70 on econ hopes, stocks rally [ID:nSYD48252]

* Dollar falls broadly, hits lowest this year [ID:nT165987]

* TREASURIES-Dip in Asia on profit-taking [ID:nT170140]

* PRECIOUS-Gold steady after gaining on dollar drop [ID:nT169002]

* METALS-Copper hits 10-month top as dollar ebbs [ID:nMAN479081]

COMPANY NEWS:

BARCLAYS (BARC.L)

Barclays Plc (BARC.L) fell short of expectations with an 8 percent rise in
half-year profit as bad debts at Britain's second biggest bank almost doubled to
offset record earnings for its enlarged investment bank. For details,
see:[ID:nL3593368]

UBS (UBSN.VX)

The Swiss lender will not have to pay a fine as part of the settlement of a
tax evasion dispute with the United States and will disclose data of some 5,000
U.S. clients, two Swiss newspapers reported on Sunday. For related news, click
on [UBSN.VX-LEN-RTRS]

METRO (MEOG.DE)

Germany's Metro, the world's fourth-largest retailer, expects retail sales
to fall further in coming months after posting better-than-expected
second-quarter underlying operating earnings on Monday. For details, see:
[ID:nFAB013206]

CREDIT SUISSE (CSGN.VX)

Israeli holding company Koor Industries (KOR.TA) said it had again raised
its stake in Credit Suisse and that its board had approved an increase of an
investment of up to 6 billion shekels ($1.58 billion) in the bank. For related
news, click on [CSGN.VX-LEN-RTRS]

METROVACESA (MVC.MC)

Spanish property company Metrovacesa is about to pull out of the Walbrook
property project in London, paying a 100 million sterling ($165.4 million)
penalty, a source familiar with the matter said late on Friday. For details,
see: [MVC.MC-LEN-RTRS]

ROCHE (ROG.VX)

Roche Holding AG's cancer drug Avastin has won approval from the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of the most common type of
kidney cancer, the Swiss drugmaker said on Monday. For details, see:[nL3578252]

RICHEMONT (CFR.VX)

Bankers for Italy's Prada fashion house have contacted Compagnie Financiere
Richemont SA about the Swiss company taking a stake in it, la Repubblica
newspaper said on Saturday. For related news, click on [CFR.VX-LEN-RTRS]

BANCO POPOLARE (BAPO.MI), BANCA ITALEASE BIL.MI, BARCLAYS

Barclays has presented an offer to buy mortgage loans from Banco Popolare
unit Banca Italease, Il Sole 24 Ore said in an unsourced report on Saturday in
which Barclays declined to comment. For details, see: [BAPO.MI-LEN-RTRS]

FRANCE TELECOM (FTE.PA),BOUYGUES (BOUY.PA),VIVENDI (VIV.PA),ILIAD (ILD.PA)

France has decided to raise the amount of money it will charge for a fourth
mobile telecoms company to offer new-generation services, but the country's
dominant operator remained unhappy with the process. For details,
see:[ID:nL1297373]

TELEFONICA (TEF.MC)

Telefonica's Brazilian fixed-line affiliate Telesp is facing legal claims of
378 million euros ($533.5 million) from the state of Sao Paulo for alleged bad
service over the last five years, Expansion reported citing a statement by
Telesp. [TEF.MC-LEN-RTRS]

NATIXIS (CNAT.PA)

The merger of the Ile de France regional banks of Banque Populaire and
Caisse d'Epargne was blocked after a Paris court ruled that the two banks had
not given enough information about the deal to their staff, a trade union source
said on Saturday. Caisse d'Epargne said in a statement that the legal snag would
have no impact on the new BPCE bank, formed from the merger of Banque Populaire
and Caisse d'Epargne. For details, see: [CNAT.PA-LEN-RTRS]
(Reporting by Blaise Robinson)