UK Stocks -- Factors to watch on Aug 12
LONDON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index was expected to open 17-18 points lower on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers, while oil prices CLc1 fell as the dollar hit a six-month high against a basket of major currencies.
The UK benchmark closed up 52.6 points, or 1 percent at 5,541.8 on Monday.
Banks are likely to be in focus after Swiss bank UBS (UBSN.VX) reported a second quarter net loss of 358 million Swiss franc ($332 million), slightly worse than expected. [ID:nLB144790] The Financial Times said nearly 60 percent of U.S. and European institutional investors surveyed by Greenwich Associates believed another big financial firm would collapse within the next six months in the continued fallout from the credit crunch.
In the UK, British house prices fell slightly less than expected in the three months to July but the number of completed sales per surveyors fell to their lowest in at least 30 years, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. [ID:nL2635039]
Another survey showed commercial building activity in Britain continued to contract sharply in July but property developers were slightly less gloomy about the future than a month earlier. [ID:nLB148474]
UK consumer prices data for July, due at 0830 GMT, will give a further indication of the inflationary picture in Britain. * US STOCKS-Wall Street gains as oil slips [nN11388153] * Nikkei down 0.3 pct, China economy worries weigh [nT48408] * U.S. dollar hits 6-mth high as oil, gold fall [nSP341618] * Dollar hits 6-month high on global economic worries [nT88800] * Oil falls as dollar firms, eyes Georgia conflict [nSIN326616] * Gold, platinum strike 8-mth low on surging dollar [nSP339817]
UK stocks to watch on Tuesday are:
VODAFONE (VOD.L)
Leap Wireless International (LEAP.O) said it had asked the U.S. telecom regulator to refuse permission for the Verizon Wireless' $28.1 billion plan to buy Alltel and become the No. 1 U.S. mobile service. [ID:nN11498334]
Verizon Wireless is a venture between Verizon Communications (VZ.N) and Vodafone.
BRADFORD & BINGLEY BB.L
The mortgage lender has privately conceded that its 400 million pounds cash call will be one of the biggest flops in the history of the City, the Daily Mail said.
BARCLAYS (BARC.L)
Funds controlled by the British bank have increased their holding in Spain's Santander (SAN.MC) to 3.08 percent from 2.85 percent previously, records from stock market regulator CNMV showed on Monday. [ID:nLB331844]
HSBC (HSBA.L)
HSBC has submitted an updated application to acquire a 51 percent stake in Korea Exchange Bank (004940.KS), South Korea's Financial Services Commisson said on Tuesday. [ID:nSEO72416]
ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND (RBS.L)
Belgian-Dutch financial group Fortis (FOR.AS) (FOR.BR) said on Monday that together with Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander (SAN.MC), it had sold a number of ABN AMRO private equity assets to a consortium led by Goldman Sachs (GS.N). [ID:nLB145223]
BRITISH AIRWAYS (BAY.L)
The airline is expected to announce to the London Stock Exchange on Wednesday that it has lodged a request for anti-trust immunity with the U.S. government as a prelude to forging closer links with American Airlines, the Daily Mail said.
INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS (IHG.L)
The hotelier is due to issue its first half results.
THOMSON REUTERS TRIL.L
The company is due to issue its second quarter results.
COLLINS STEWART (CLST.L)
The company is due to issue its first half results.
STAGECOACH (SGC.L)
The bus and rail group is making a rare foray into the ferry business with a four-week trial of a high-speed catamaran service between Torquay and Brixham, in Devon, the Daily Telegraph said.
SISTEMA (SSAq.L)
The Russian services conglomerate has applied for regulatory approval to buy the 50 percent stake of telecoms company Sky Link it does not already own, Russia's anti-monopoly agency said on Monday. [ID:nLB520733]
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times [PRESS/FT]
> Other business headlines [PRESS/GB]
(Reporting by Dominic Lau)
