UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Monday Sept 24

* Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening down 50-51 points, or 0.9 percent lower on Monday, according to financial bookmakers. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on

* The UK blue-chip index closed down 2.02 points at 5,852.62 on Friday, taking it to a 1.1 percent weekly loss after two consecutive up weeks, with a wave of profit-taking on options and futures expiry eclipsing any sentiment boost from signs that Spain may be getting closer to asking for a bailout.

* Technical analysis for the FTSE 100 was bearish. James Hyerczyk, analyst at Autochartist, highlighted that after reaching a top at 5,932.62 on Sept. 14, the FTSE 100 has embarked on a series of lower-tops and lower-bottoms on the 240-minute chart.

"This suggests that the index has turned the main trend to down and could be poised for an acceleration to the downside over the near-term," he said.

* Brent crude futures fell below $111 in early Asian trade on Monday, dragged down by a firm dollar and worries about weak economic growth in key consumer nations.

* No important British economic data will be released on Monday, with little due all week aside from the final reading for second-quarter GDP on Thursday.

* Across the Atlantic, August's Chicago Fed index will be released at 1230 GMT on Monday, with the Dallas Fed manufacturing index due at 1430 GMT.

* BAE Systems has warned it will walk away from its proposed tie-up with EADS if the deal waters down its special relationship with the Pentagon, the Financial Times said.

* XSTRATA The board of Xstrata is considering a separate investor vote on a huge scheme to ensure that the controversial proposal does not derail its 56 billion pound merger with Glencore, the Sunday Times said.

* BP The British oil giant, which wants to buy a stake in Russian state-controlled rival Rosneft, plans to appoint a prominent Russian to its board of directors as part of a new commercial alliance with the Kremlin, the Sunday Times newspaper said.

* ENRC The Kazakh mining conglomerate has shelved plans to split the company in two as a result of market conditions and lower production volumes, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

* Morrisons, one of Britain's biggest employers, is set to sidestep the government's new flagship auto-enrollment pension regime by setting up a staff scheme that is exempt from the new rules, the Times reported.

* LOOKERS The billionaire investor, George Soros, has bought 4.54 percent in the car dealer after shares suffered their biggest two-day drop for almost a year when the company's second-biggest shareholder sold his stake, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

* WILLIAM HILL is considering asking shareholders for more than 200 million pounds to help fund a planned acquisition of rival online bookmaker Sportingbet, the Sunday Times reported.

* DAIRY CREST GROUP says its first-half profit will be lower than year ago period.

* QINETIQ GROUP reports a better than expected first half.

* A.G. BARR posts H1 pretax profit of 14.9 million pounds against 16.2 million pounds.

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times

> Other business headlines Multimedia versions of Reuters Top News are now available for: * 3000 Xtra : visit* BridgeStation: view story .134(Reporting by Tricia Wright)