UK Stocks -- Factors to watch on July 4

LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index
is seen opening flat on Friday, according to financial
bookmakers, having closed up 50.3 points, or 0.9 percent, at
5,476.6 in the previous session.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose on Thursday, a
day after the blue-chip average entered a bear market, on relief
payrolls data was not as weak as some had feared and with
another record oil price boosting energy shares.

The U.S. market will be closed on Friday for the
Independence Day holiday.

"Rising oil prices -- crude is still sitting above
$145/barrel -- and the fact thinner volumes could result in yet
more volatility being seen should ensure there's something to
occupy traders in the near term," said Paul Webb, chief dealer
at CMC Markets.

"However, that $150 level on oil is looming and a move in
this direction could always inject a degree of panic and in thin
trading conditions the result of something like this could have
the potential to be rather notable."

In the UK, an annual discretionary income study by Ernst &
Young showed the average British household is now 15 percent
worse off than it was five years ago. [ID:nL03272815]
According to Moneysupermarket.com, more than four million UK
households have resorted to personal loans or credit cards to
cover mortgage or rent payments in the past year, the Times
said.

* Energy shares, tame jobs data lift Dow [nN03481823]
* Nikkei edges down, sentiment remains gloomy [nT352878]
* Asia stocks slip as oil hovers near record [nL04707344]
* Oil pauses near record over $145, US holiday ahead [nSIN6275]
* Dollar keeps gains on U.S. payrolls, Trichet [nT333218]
* TREASURIES-Short maturity debt gains on weak jobs[nN03480117]
* Gold bounces after NY fall, record oil helps [nSP6087]

UK stocks to watch on Friday are:

BHP BILLITON (BLT.L: Quote, Profile, Research)

BHP Billiton has matched Rio Tinto's (RIO.L: Quote, Profile, Research) near 100
percent price hike for 2009-2009 iron ore deliveries, Chinese
industry officials said on Friday, ending protracted talks over
contracts worth billions of dollars. [ID:nSP9603]

BRADFORD & BINGLEY BB.L

The mortgage lender plans to increase the size of its rights
issue to 400 million pounds ($794 million) after U.S. private
equity firm TPG Capital pulled out of a plan to buy a stake, the
bank said. [ID:nL03676609]

BSKYB (BSY.L: Quote, Profile, Research)

BSkyB is considering making a bid of more than 2.5 billion
euros for Digital Plus, the Spanish pay-television platform,
which would mark its first foray outside the UK and Ireland
since an ill-fated move into Germany in 2000, the Financial
Times said.

BG GROUP (BG.L: Quote, Profile, Research)

Australia's Origin Energy (ORG.AX: Quote, Profile, Research) urged shareholders to
reject a $13.1 billion bid from the British gas producer, as
speculation grew over whether BG would raise its offer.
[ID:nSYD21852]

GLAXOSMITHKLINE (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research)

Two rival flu drugs, Roche's (ROG.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) Tamiflu and
GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research) Relenza, work equally well to fight
the symptoms of influenza in children, Japanese researchers
reported. [ID:nN03385085]

FRIENDS PROVIDENT FP.L

Swiss Life (SLHN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) is no longer considering a bid for
Lombard, the high-end insurance unit of Friends Provident, a
source familiar with the matter said. [ID:nL03537613]

MITCHELLS & BUTLERS (MAB.L: Quote, Profile, Research)

Property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz on Thursday moved against
short-sellers in the pub group, converting a derivatives holding
of almost 26 percent into shares in order to stop it being lent
to those betting on price falls, the Financial Times said.

TAYLOR WIMPEY (TW.L: Quote, Profile, Research)

The housebuilder intends to seek a waiver for a possible
breach of covenants from holders of some 380 million pounds of
outstanding private placement notes, the Financial Times said.

BARRATT DEVELOPMENTS (BDEV.L: Quote, Profile, Research)

Barratt Developments told staff on Wednesday that it would
make about 1,000 people redundant, taking job losses in the
construction industry to nearly 2,300 in just two days, the
Times reported.

SAINSBURY (SBRY.L: Quote, Profile, Research)

The economic slowdown will not prompt British consumers to
turn their backs on quality food, Justin King, chief executive
of the supermarket group said. [ID:nL03571466]

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times [PRESS/FT]

> Other business headlines [PRESS/GB]

(Reporting by Dominic Lau)