UK Stocks - Factors to watch on Aug 8
LONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index .FTSE is seen opening down 20 points on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, having closed 8.6 points, or 0.2 percent lower at 5,477.5 in the previous session. Overnight, U.S. stocks tumbled on fears of more fallout from the credit crisis, with Wal-Mart's (WMT.N) cautious sales forecast adding to concerns about consumer spending.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 traded 0.7 percent higher, with exporters supporting.
UK financials are set to be in focus ahead of the weekend break, with Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) (RBS) due to announce first half earnings.
"What we do have today are the interims from RBS and although they are expected to post a significant loss -- with this already factored into the share price -- any positive sentiments regarding the outlook could be well received by the market," said Paul Webb, chief dealer at CMC Markets.
Also on the corporate diary, Fannie Mae (FNM.N) is set to release earnings data on Friday, following on from disappointing results from mortgage-finance cousin Freddie Mac (FRE.N) on Wednesday.
Heavyweight oil shares may also feature among the UK bluechip's early movers and shakers, with U.S. crude CLc1 at about $119 a barrel.
But one day after the Bank of England's decision to hold interest rates steady at 5 percent, investors will be hard pushed to find any economic data offering meaningful direction.
* US STOCKS-AIG, Wal-Mart spark sell-off on Wall Street [ID:nN07352729]
* Japan Nikkei turns positive, exporters gain on yen [ID:nT361460]
* Oil near $120 on Turkey oil pipeline blast [ID:nSP190650]
* TREASURIES-Bonds rally on weak economy, strong auction [ID:nN07333811]
* GLOBAL MARKETS-Dollar rallies on dim global growth outlook [ID:nSP228769]
UK stocks to watch on Friday are:
