CORRECTED - UK Stocks -- Factors to watch on July 1

(Corrects to show in last paragraph F&C held an extraordinary
general meeting not an emergency meeting)

LONDON, July 1 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index
is seen opening up 12-20 points or as much as 0.5 percent on
Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, starting the third
quarter positively after Wall Street pared losses and Asian
markets booked modest gains.

Strength in heavyweight oils and miners is likely to be a
feature as crude prices CLc1 held above the $70 barrel level
and metal prices firmed.

The UK blue chip index closed 44.82 points or 1 percent
lower on Tuesday at 4,249.21, but the index ended up 8.2 percent
on the quarter, the best such performance since the final
quarter of 2003, and has gained 22.8 percent since touching a
six-year low on March 9.

For a FACTBOX on European stock market performance in H1
2009 double click on [ID:nLU94057].

U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday as an unexpected drop in
consumer confidence cooled recent optimism about an economic
recovery, but Wall Street still closed out its best quarter in a
decade.

Investors will look to the UK June manufacturing sector PMI
report, due at 0828 GMT, to provide further clues as to the
health of the domestic economy.

U.S. June ISM data will be a focus later in the session,
together with May U.S. pending home sales numbers, and the June
ADP National Employment report, a precursor to Thursday's
crucial U.S. jobs report.

Ex-dividend factors will knock 1.4 points off the blue chip
index on Wednesday, with Man Group (EMG.L), Alliance Trust
(ATST.L), and Compass Group (CPG.L) losing their payout
attractions.

* Wall St brakes on confidence, but has upbeat Q2

[ID:nL1525339]

* GLOBAL-Asia shares struggle; data shows tough going

[ID:nSP470833]

* METALS-Shanghai copper down 2 pct on demand worries

[ID:nSHA331531]

* Nikkei claws 0.1 pct higher, tankan view mixed

[ID:nT136912]

* PRECIOUS-Gold firms a day after sell-off, dollar in focus
[ID:nT144904]

* Crude rises above $70 after big stocks fall

[ID:nT134461]

* TREASURIES-Homes data curtails Treasuries' rally

[ID:nL1527413]

* Dollar rises to upper 96 yen level on continued U.S. hope
[ID:nKWSfxyJa]

UK stocks to watch on Tuesday are:

MARKS & SPENCER (MKS.L)

The clothing to food retailer issues a first-quarter trading
update.

Also, the shareholder advisory body PIRC has recommended
that M&S shareholders vote to re-elect Sir Stuart Rose as it's
executive chairman, but only on the proviso that the firm follow
recommendations made by the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum
to take all reasonable and practical steps to bring forward the
appointment of an independent chairman, the Independent
newspaper said.

LLOYDS BANKING GROUP (LLOY.L)

Former Citigroup chairman Win Bischoff is being lined up to
become the chairman of Lloyds Banking Group, the Financial Times
reported on Wednesday, citing people close to the process.
[nLU424561]

STANDARD CHARTERED (STAN.L)

Standard Chartered is in talks to purchase assets in China
and India owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L), a source
with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday.
[nHKG137025]

ASTRAZENECA (AZN.L)

A U.S. patent research group says it has uncovered evidence
that could be used to declare AstraZeneca's patent for its
cholesterol fighter Crestor invalid.[nN302765]

TESCO (TSCO.L)

The British government's attempt to find a buyer for
Northern Rock (NRKx.L) before the next general election appears
to be making headway, with the supermarket group Tesco
expressing a preliminary interest in acquiring the nationalised
bank, The Times said.

NATIONAL EXPRESS GROUP (NEX.L)

The train and bus operator's chief executive, Richard Bowker
will announce his resignation, British media said, when the firm
- which rebuffed a takeover bid from larger rival FirstGroup
(FGP.L) on Monday - issues a trading update on Wednesday
morning.

MOBILE TELECOMS

Britain's largest mobile phone company O2, owned by Spain's
Telefonica (TEF.MC), is thought to have expressed an interest in
Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile UK (DTEGn.DE), The Guardian
said.

Orange, owned by France Telecom (FTE.PA), the third largest
player, has denied submitting a bid for the company, having had
several offers rejected over the past year, newspaper said.

HOME RETAIL GROUP (HOME.L)

The Argos and Home Base retailer holds its annual general
meeting..

JOHN WOOD GROUP (WG.L)

The oil services firm hosts its annual general meeting.

WSP GROUP (WSPG.L)

The building and environmental consultancy holds its annual
general meeting.

F&C ASSET MANAGEMENT (FCAM.L)

The fund manager holds an extraordinary general meeting.

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times [PRESS/FT]

> Other business headlines [PRESS/GB]

(Reporting by Jon Hopkins; Editing by Simon Falush)