UK Stocks -- Factors to watch on Jan 15

LONDON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening
up 13-15 points on Friday, as forecast-beating results and a bullish margin
outlook from U.S. chip major Intel (INTC.O) fuelled hopes of a strong earnings
season.

The index is seen by financial bookmakers as gaining as much as 0.3 percent
higher, with investors waiting for quarterly results from Wall Street firm
JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), due on Friday.

The UK blue-chip index closed 24.72 points higher at 5,498.20 on Thursday,
snapping two sessions of declines as miners bounced back thanks to solid output
numbers from Rio Tinto (RIO.L).

Strength in tech issues drove Wall Street higher on Thursday and after-hours
Intel's fourth-quarter results roared past analysts' forecasts, boosted by
higher prices and firm demand for server chips. [ID:nN13151343]
No important UK data is due on Friday so investors will focus on December
U.S. inflation numbers, due at 1330 GMT, with consumer prices seen rising 0.2
percent on the month, after a 0.4 percent increase in November.

Year-on-year U.S. consumer prices are seen up 2.8 percent last month, up
from a 1.8 percent increase in November.

January's Empire State index will also be released at 1330 GMT, followed by
December U.S. industrial output and capacity utilisation numbers at 1415 GMT,
and the first reading for January's University of Michigan consumer sentiment
index at 1455 GMT.

* GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian stocks pare gains after Intel boost [ID:nTOE60E03D]

* US STOCKS-Tech sector leads Wall St higher [ID:nN14227691]

* Nikkei hits 15-month closing high, techs strong [ID:nTKW006759]

* FOREX-Dollar and yen gain as risky positions cut [ID:nTOE60E00L]

* TREASURIES-Up in Asia after solid auctions, data eyed [ID:nTOE60E036]

* Oil falls to $79 on concerns over US economy [ID:nSGE60E04P]

* PRECIOUS-Gold slips below $1,140/oz as dlr reverses losses [ID:nTOE60E00F]

* METALS-Copper steady; data, technicals worry [ID:nSGE60E02L]

UK stocks to watch on Friday are:

MAN GROUP (EMG.L)

The hedge fund manager issues a Q3 trading update.

CADBURY CBRY.L

Cadbury's chairman Roger Carr attacked Kraft Foods' (KFT.N) 10.5 billion
pound ($17.1 billion) hostile takeover bid and its past performance on
Thursday, but was uncertain over the prospects for a rival bid from chocolate
maker Hershey Co (HSY.N), in the British firm's final defence statement under UK
Takeover Panel rules. [ID:nLDE60D25Y]

XSTRATA (XTA.L)

One of Xstrata's (XTA.L) Australian coal operations will be shut by a
48-hour strike this weekend after workers rejected a wage offer, Xstrata said on
Friday, adding that coal shipments would not be immediately affected.
[ID:nSGE60D0JK]

BP <BP.L

BP and Canadian firm Husky (HSE.TO) will spend $400 million to upgrade their
joint 155,000 barrel per day refinery in Toledo, Ohio, the companies said on
Thursday. [ID:nN14123332]

Also, after weeks of work, crews have finished cleaning up the oil and
oil-laced produced water that leaked out of a ruptured pipeline in November at
the BP-operated Lisburne field in Alaska, company and state officials said
Thursday. [ID: N14234711]

BANKS

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L), Barclays (BARC.L) and HSBC (HSBA.L) could be
forced to pay more than 10 billion dollars to the U.S. government over the next
10 years as part of a levy on financial companies proposed by U.S. President
Barack Obama, The Times said.

ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND (RBS.L)

The Grosvenor House hotel, which has previously hosted events such as the
CBI annual dinner, is to be put up for sale by the part-nationalised RBS, and is
expected to raise between 600 and 700 million pounds, The Daily Telegraph said.

VODAFONE (VOD.L)

Vodafone has become the third mobile phone operator in Britain to offer the
Apple iPhone to its customers, with a total of 50,000 units delivered on the
first day of sales, serving as something of a relief to Vodafone which had
feared losing out to rivals O2 and Orange, The Independent said.

PEARSON (PSON.L)

Sources have suggested that Interactive Data Corporation, the financial
information group majority-owned by Pearson, is sounding out potential buyers,
the Financial Times said.

CENTRICA CAN.L

Claims made by the GMB union that Centrica (CNA.L) plans to cut 5,000 jobs
from its subsidiary British Gas have been dismissed as "untrue" by the company,
The Daily Telegraph said.

BALFOUR BEATTY (BALF.L)

The construction services firm issues a trading update.

EXPERIAN GROUP (EXPN.L)

The credit checking firm issues a trading update.

BOVIS HOMES (BVS.L)

The housebuilder will issue a trading update.

BELLWAY (BWY.L)

The housebuilder holds its annual general meeting.

C&C GROUP (GCC.I)

The Irish-based drinks group issues a trading update.

SPECTRIS (SXS.L)

The engineering firm issues a trading update.

SMITHS NEWS (SNWS.L)

The newspaper and magazines distributor issues a trading update.

FERREXPRO (FXPO.L)

The metals firm issues a Q4 output statement.

OFFSHORE HYDRO MAPPING OHM.L

The electromagnetic surveys provider holds its annual general meeting.

SUPERGLASS HOLDINGS (SPGH.L)

The insulation products maker holds its annual general meeting.

(Reporting by Jon Hopkins; Editing by Erica Billingham)