LONDON, April 12 (Reuters) – Britain’s FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen
opening up 21-24 points, or 0.4 percent on Monday, according to financial
bookmakers, extending Friday’s strong recovery in tandem with overnight gains in
Asia as a rescue plan for debt-laden Greece was put in place.

The UK blue chip index closed 58.28 points, or 1.0 percent higher on Friday
at 5,770.98, recovering all of a 0.9 fall on Thursday which had been the biggest
single-day decline for six weeks.

Asian stocks hit 22-month highs on Monday after a giant emergency aid plan
for Greece boosted demand for riskier assets across the board.

In what may be the biggest multilateral financial rescue ever, the euro zone
and the IMF threw debt-laden Greece a lifeline over the weekend by pledging at
least 30 billion euros ($40 billion) in aid, though Athens has yet to activate
it. [ID:nLDE63A0BO]

Commodity issues are expected to lead the gainers on Monday as metal prices
rose and crude CLc1 pushed above $85 a barrel, buoyed by a drop in the U.S.
dollar and bullish data that showed Chinese crude imports jumping to their
second-highest monthly level in March. [ID:nSGE63901H]

On the domestic macro front, no important data is due for release on Monday,
with little scheduled all week, though investors will look to the March RICS
house price survey for some clues as to the state of the British economy, with
that report due for release at 2301 GMT on Monday night.

Investors will also look ahead to the March U.S. Federal budget numbers,
also due after the London close at 1800 GMT.

U.S. first-quarter earnings will also be a focus over the next few weeks,
with the traditional curtain-raiser coming on Monday from aluminium group Alcoa
(AA.N), while banking giants JP Morgan Chase (JPM.N), Goldman Sachs (GS.N), and
Bank of America (BAC.N) report numbers later in the week.

* GLOBAL MARKETS-Euro surges on Greek aid, stocks climb [ID:nSGE63A036]

* US STOCKS-Wall St up with energy sector, Dow hits 11,000 [ID:nN09139071]

* Nikkei rises 1 pct; Dentsu up on earnings estimate [ID:nTOE63B02Q]

* FOREX-Euro jumps on Greek package in short squeeze [ID:nTOE63B03E]

* TREASURIES-Dip in Asia on Greek aid; data, earnings eyed [ID:nTOE63B041]

* Oil rises above $85 on weak dollar, China data [ID:nSGE63B06G]

* METALS-LME copper hits new 20-month high on weak dlr [ID:nSGE63B04U]

* PRECIOUS-Gold hits 4-mth high on euro, investor demand [ID:nTOE63B03U]

UK stocks to watch on Monday are:

LLOYDS BANKING GROUP (LLOY.L)

The bank is holding discreet talks with various stockbroking firms,
including Numis Securities, Evolution (EVG.L), and Execution Nobel on setting up
a joint venture which would cement its presence in equity capital markets, The
Sunday Times said.

BARCLAYS (BARC.L)

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc (LEHMQ.PK) told a U.S. bankruptcy judge on
Friday that Barclays should be forced to return certain assets it received in
its 2008 acquisition of Lehman’s core U.S. brokerage, because Barclays arranged
a secret $5 billion discount. [ID:nN09256273]

BANKS

Australian bank National Australia Bank’s 1.5 billion pound bid for 318 high
street branches being sold by British bank Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) may
require NAB to raise additional capital in the UK, the Daily Telegraph said on
Monday.

BG GROUP (BG.L)

The gas producer is retreating from the UK power sector and has put its
power plants up for sale, according to a report in the Sunday Times.
[ID:nLDE63A0IB]

VODAFONE (VOD.L)

The mobile telecoms firm is to consult shareholders on the options for U.S.
Verizon Wireless, its joint venture with American partner Verizon
Communications, The Sunday Telegraph said.

BHP BILLITON (BLT.L)

The global miner has suspended operations at part of its Nickel West mining
complex in west Australia after a miner died in an accident there at the
weekend, the firm said on Monday. [ID:nSYU009699]

XSTRATA (XTA.L)

Shares in Australia’s Macarthur, the world’s biggest exporter of a
cleaner-burning coal known as PCI, surged as much as 10 percent on Monday –
their highest since mid-July 2008 — as investors latched on to media reports
that Xstrata would bid more than $3.7 billion for the firm. [ID:nSGE63A02X]

ANGLO AMERICAN (AAL.L)

The state-run China Metallurgical Corporation is among the bidders for the
800 million dollar zinc assets of Anglo American (AAL.L), the Independent on
Sunday said.

CENTRICA (CNA.L)

Centrica is to enter the shale gas business as it looks to double the size
of Direct Energy, its North American operation, to a turnover of 12.2 billion
pounds within five years, The Mail on Sunday said.

BAE SYSTEMS (BAES.L)

BAE has topped a list of the world’s 100 largest arms manufacturers,
compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, marking the
first time that the list has been topped by a company outside the U.S., The
Guardian said on Monday.

PEARSON (PSON.L)

Parties interested in Interactive Data Corporation (IDC), the financial data
group controlled by Pearson, are preparing second-round bids before an expected
late-April deadline, the Financial Times said on Monday.

AIRLINES

Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Atlantic airline has hit out at
competition authorities over the “lazy” and “misguided” way they are treating a
proposed alliance between American Airlines and British Airways (BAY.L) in an
interview in the Financial Times on Monday.

QINETIQ (QQ.L)

Two U.S. private equity funds have taken stakes in the defence technology
firm, underlying hopes of a significant shake-up of the group under new CEO Leo
Quinn, according to a report in the Sunday Times. [ID:nLDE63A0HM]

ITV (ITV.L)

The broadcaster’s new chief executive, Adam Crozier, is seeking out
potential programme makers to head the broadcaster’s production arm ITV Studios,
The Sunday Times said.

DEBENHAMS (DEB.L)

The department store chain is to release a six-month trading update on
Tuesday that is predicted to report a 14.3 million pound increase in pre-tax
profits to 116 million pounds, The Independent on Sunday said.

JJB BOSS SPORTS (JJB.L)

The sportswear chain has surprised the sportswear industry by putting its
stock orders on hold only two months before a period of expected high demand
during the World Cup in June, The Mail on Sunday said.

CARR’S MILLING (CARS.L)

The agriculture, food and engineering group reports first-half results.

VERNALIS (VER.L)

The biotech firm posts full-year results.

E2V TECHNOLOGIES (E2V.L)

The electronic components maker issues a trading update.

(Reporting by Jon Hopkins; Editing by Mike Nesbit)

LONDON, April 12 (Reuters) – Britain’s FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen
opening up 21-24 points, or 0.4 percent on Monday, according to financial
bookmakers, extending Friday’s strong recovery in tandem with overnight gains in
Asia as a rescue plan for debt-laden Greece was put in place.

The UK blue chip index closed 58.28 points, or 1.0 percent higher on Friday
at 5,770.98, recovering all of a 0.9 fall on Thursday which had been the biggest
single-day decline for six weeks.

Asian stocks hit 22-month highs on Monday after a giant emergency aid plan
for Greece boosted demand for riskier assets across the board.

In what may be the biggest multilateral financial rescue ever, the euro zone
and the IMF threw debt-laden Greece a lifeline over the weekend by pledging at
least 30 billion euros ($40 billion) in aid, though Athens has yet to activate
it. [ID:nLDE63A0BO]

Commodity issues are expected to lead the gainers on Monday as metal prices
rose and crude CLc1 pushed above $85 a barrel, buoyed by a drop in the U.S.
dollar and bullish data that showed Chinese crude imports jumping to their
second-highest monthly level in March. [ID:nSGE63901H]

On the domestic macro front, no important data is due for release on Monday,
with little scheduled all week, though investors will look to the March RICS
house price survey for some clues as to the state of the British economy, with
that report due for release at 2301 GMT on Monday night.

Investors will also look ahead to the March U.S. Federal budget numbers,
also due after the London close at 1800 GMT.

U.S. first-quarter earnings will also be a focus over the next few weeks,
with the traditional curtain-raiser coming on Monday from aluminium group Alcoa
(AA.N), while banking giants JP Morgan Chase (JPM.N), Goldman Sachs (GS.N), and
Bank of America (BAC.N) report numbers later in the week.

* GLOBAL MARKETS-Euro surges on Greek aid, stocks climb [ID:nSGE63A036]

* US STOCKS-Wall St up with energy sector, Dow hits 11,000 [ID:nN09139071]

* Nikkei rises 1 pct; Dentsu up on earnings estimate [ID:nTOE63B02Q]

* FOREX-Euro jumps on Greek package in short squeeze [ID:nTOE63B03E]

* TREASURIES-Dip in Asia on Greek aid; data, earnings eyed [ID:nTOE63B041]

* Oil rises above $85 on weak dollar, China data [ID:nSGE63B06G]

* METALS-LME copper hits new 20-month high on weak dlr [ID:nSGE63B04U]

* PRECIOUS-Gold hits 4-mth high on euro, investor demand [ID:nTOE63B03U]

UK stocks to watch on Monday are:

LLOYDS BANKING GROUP (LLOY.L)

The bank is holding discreet talks with various stockbroking firms,
including Numis Securities, Evolution (EVG.L), and Execution Nobel on setting up
a joint venture which would cement its presence in equity capital markets, The
Sunday Times said.

BARCLAYS (BARC.L)

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc (LEHMQ.PK) told a U.S. bankruptcy judge on
Friday that Barclays should be forced to return certain assets it received in
its 2008 acquisition of Lehman’s core U.S. brokerage, because Barclays arranged
a secret $5 billion discount. [ID:nN09256273]

BANKS

Australian bank National Australia Bank’s 1.5 billion pound bid for 318 high
street branches being sold by British bank Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) may
require NAB to raise additional capital in the UK, the Daily Telegraph said on
Monday.

BG GROUP (BG.L)

The gas producer is retreating from the UK power sector and has put its
power plants up for sale, according to a report in the Sunday Times.
[ID:nLDE63A0IB]

VODAFONE (VOD.L)

The mobile telecoms firm is to consult shareholders on the options for U.S.
Verizon Wireless, its joint venture with American partner Verizon
Communications, The Sunday Telegraph said.

BHP BILLITON (BLT.L)

The global miner has suspended operations at part of its Nickel West mining
complex in west Australia after a miner died in an accident there at the
weekend, the firm said on Monday. [ID:nSYU009699]

XSTRATA (XTA.L)

Shares in Australia’s Macarthur, the world’s biggest exporter of a
cleaner-burning coal known as PCI, surged as much as 10 percent on Monday –
their highest since mid-July 2008 — as investors latched on to media reports
that Xstrata would bid more than $3.7 billion for the firm. [ID:nSGE63A02X]

ANGLO AMERICAN (AAL.L)

The state-run China Metallurgical Corporation is among the bidders for the
800 million dollar zinc assets of Anglo American (AAL.L), the Independent on
Sunday said.

CENTRICA (CNA.L)

Centrica is to enter the shale gas business as it looks to double the size
of Direct Energy, its North American operation, to a turnover of 12.2 billion
pounds within five years, The Mail on Sunday said.

BAE SYSTEMS (BAES.L)

BAE has topped a list of the world’s 100 largest arms manufacturers,
compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, marking the
first time that the list has been topped by a company outside the U.S., The
Guardian said on Monday.

PEARSON (PSON.L)

Parties interested in Interactive Data Corporation (IDC), the financial data
group controlled by Pearson, are preparing second-round bids before an expected
late-April deadline, the Financial Times said on Monday.

AIRLINES

Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Atlantic airline has hit out at
competition authorities over the “lazy” and “misguided” way they are treating a
proposed alliance between American Airlines and British Airways (BAY.L) in an
interview in the Financial Times on Monday.

QINETIQ (QQ.L)

Two U.S. private equity funds have taken stakes in the defence technology
firm, underlying hopes of a significant shake-up of the group under new CEO Leo
Quinn, according to a report in the Sunday Times. [ID:nLDE63A0HM]

ITV (ITV.L)

The broadcaster’s new chief executive, Adam Crozier, is seeking out
potential programme makers to head the broadcaster’s production arm ITV Studios,
The Sunday Times said.

DEBENHAMS (DEB.L)

The department store chain is to release a six-month trading update on
Tuesday that is predicted to report a 14.3 million pound increase in pre-tax
profits to 116 million pounds, The Independent on Sunday said.

JJB BOSS SPORTS (JJB.L)

The sportswear chain has surprised the sportswear industry by putting its
stock orders on hold only two months before a period of expected high demand
during the World Cup in June, The Mail on Sunday said.

CARR’S MILLING (CARS.L)

The agriculture, food and engineering group reports first-half results.

VERNALIS (VER.L)

The biotech firm posts full-year results.

E2V TECHNOLOGIES (E2V.L)

The electronic components maker issues a trading update.

(Reporting by Jon Hopkins; Editing by Mike Nesbit)