Swiss stocks - Factors to watch on Jan 19

ZURICH Jan 19 (Reuters) - Swiss shares were poised to open higher on Thursday, mirroring European markets, and tracking gains in the United States and Asia as investors turned more hopeful that Greece would reach an agreement in its debt negotiations.

The blue-chip SMI was set to open 9 points firmer at 6,125 points, pre-market data provided by bank Clariden Leu showed.

The following are some of the main factors expected to affect Swiss stocks on Thursday:

SWISS RE

Swiss Re has picked internal veteran Michel Lies as its new chief executive, giving the group more stability after the surprise decision of former chief Stefan Lippe to take early retirement at the end of last year.

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NOVARTIS

Novartis AG's generics unit is starting late-stage biosimilar trials for two Amgen drugs, the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday, as it pushes ahead with its drive to copy complex biotech drugs.

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ROCHE

A new study helps explain why up to a third of advanced melanoma patients who take Roche Holding's pill Zelboraf develop a less deadly form of skin cancer known as cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and even points to a potential fix.

They said combining drugs like Zelboraf, which block a mutation known as BRAF, with a second melanoma drug that blocks a different mutation known as MEK helped to solve this problem in lab mice.

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SWISS WATCHES

* Swatch Group's decision to lower watch part supplies to rival watchmakers this year has already impacted the industry, forcing some brands to hold back production and others to scramble for alternatives, executives told a fair this week.

* Swiss watchmakers expect slower growth this year after a record 2011 as strong demand from Asia is unlikely to make up for weakness in America and Europe, executives at the Geneva watch fair warned this week.

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UBS

UBS AG hired a team of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney brokers in Washington, D.C. which generated $2.5 million of revenue in the past year.

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JULIUS BAER

Private bank Julius Baer has hired a team of eight Hong Kong-based advisers to the wealthy from rival Bank Sarasin , a gratifying coup after Baer lost out to Swiss-Brazilian Banco Safra in the takeover battle for Sarasin.

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COMPANY STATEMENTS

* Cosmo updates investors and analysts on progress and new developments in its R&D pipeline.

* SIX Exchange Regulation initiates an investigation against Dufry Ltd on the grounds of possible breaches of the rules governing the disclosure of management transactions.

* The Adval Tech Group has renegotiated existing bank loans prior to their maturity date in January 2013 and placed them on a new basis with a view to reducing annual interest costs significantly.

* Oridion Systems Ltd., announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration has advised the company that the import alert issued on all of Oridion's medical devices has been significantly narrowed.

RESEARCH

* Barclays raises Novartis AG to equal weight from underweight.

* Barclays raises Roche price target to 186 Sfr from 183 Sfr.

* UBS raises Barry Callebaut price target to 880 Sfr from 840 Sfr.

ECONOMY

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