LONDON, June 1 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening
59 to 61 points higher on Monday, according to financial bookmakers, tracking
gains in Asia as evidence mounted that the worst of the global downturn may be
over.
The UK benchmark is seen gaining as much as 1.4 percent on open after it
rose 4.1 percent last month -- its third monthly rise in a row and the longest
winning streak in two years. The index closed up 30.40 points, or 0.7 percent
higher at 4,417.94 on Friday.
Confidence that the struggling global economy may have turned a corner rose
as China's official purchasing managers index stayed above the 50 level, which
separates expansion from contraction, for a third straight month.
This helped lift the Nikkei 225 .N225 1.6 percent, while the MSCI index of
Asia Pacific stocks outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS jumped 2.2 percent to its
highest since October.
Energy and mining stocks are set to be among the biggest supports to the
index, with metal prices firmly higher and crude motoring past $67 per barrel.
House prices in England and Wales were unchanged in May, the first time in
20 months that there has been no month-on-mongh decline, property data company
Hometrack said. [ID:nLAG003461]
In the U.S., officials said that General Motors Corp GM.N will file for
bankruptcy on Monday, forcing the 100-year-old automaker once seen as a symbol of
American economic might and dynamism into a new and uncertain era of government
ownership. [ID:nN31495007]
Investors will watch manufacturing PMI data for May at 0828 GMT for more
clues on the state of the UK economy.
* Japan's Nikkei up after news GM to go bankrupt [ID:nTKU105389]
* Commodity shares, Coca-Cola lift Wall Street [ID:nN29439922]
* Asia stocks, Aussie dollar gain on China PMI [ID:nSP46540]
* Dollar loses footing as investors branch out [ID:nT122504]
* Treasuries-Bonds rebound strongly into month end [ID:nL1348112]
* Oil jumps 1 pct, basking in equities' glow [ ID:nSP429646]
* Gold hits 3-month high; $1,000 eyed [ID:nT329198]
* Metal prices rally; China data, dlr lift sentiment [ID:nSP429585]
UK stocks to watch on Monday are:
ROYAL DUTCH SHELL (RDSa.L)
The oil giant plans to cut 350-450 senior management roles as it
restructures to cut costs and improve its operational performance according to a
website to which Shell employees post internal information. [ID:nLU499375 ]
ASTRAZENECA (AZN.L)
The pharmaceutical giant's Zactima, which failed two earlier trials, was
shown in a pivotal study to extend the amount of tme patients survived without
their lung cancer worsening, researchers said on Saturday. [ID:nN30385063]
RIO TINTO (RIO.L)
The global miner has agreed to extend the deadline by which major Chinese
shareholder Chinalco must confirm whether it will help fund the planned
expansion of Rio Tinto's Yarwun 2 Alumina refinery. [ID:nSYU006609]
BANKS
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is fostering uncertainty in the City
by not revealing the full results of its stress tests on banks, British shadow
chancellor George Osborne wrote in the Financial Times.
CADBURY (CBRY.L)
The confectionery giant is looking to build on its dominant position in
India's chocolate market by making the country a regional centre for cocoa
production, the Financial Times said. The UK group wants to source all of its
cocoa beans domestically by 2015, hoping to increase national output from 10,000
tonnes to 150,000 tonnes a year by 2020.
INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS (IHG.L)
Holiday Inn, part of the InterContinental Hotels Group, has signed up as the
official hotel sponsor for the London Olympics in 2012, the Financial Times
said. The deal will cost about 10 million pounds.
BARCLAYS (BARC.L)
Ethan Harris, the co-chief economist at Barclays Plc's (BARC.L) Barclays
Capital unit is leaving the investment bank for Bank of America Corp (BAC.N),
people close to the decision said on Friday.
ANGLO AMERICAN AA.L
The miner said it is withdrawing from its Big Hill project.
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times [PRESS/FT]
> Other business headlines [PRESS/GB]
(Reporting by Simon Falush)
