LONDON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening 11-13 points, or as much as 0.3 percent, lower on Monday, according to financial bookmakers, tracking weakness overnight in Asia and pre-weekend on Wall Street.
The British blue-chip index closed 41.49 points, or 0.9 percent, lower on Friday at 4,713.97 dented by data which showed a weakening in U.S. consumer sentiment, fuelling concerns about the strength of an economic recovery.
U.S. stocks fell broadly on Friday, with the major indexes snapping a four-week streak of gains after the data from the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers showed consumer confidence fell more than expected in early August, dropping to its lowest level since March.
Japan's Nikkei average fell 2.2 percent on Monday, retreating from 10-month highs, with exporters hit as the yen rose against the dollar on concerns about how quickly the U.S. economy will recover.
Japan's economy grew 0.9 percent in April-June from the previous quarter, marking the first expansion in five quarters and in line with a median market forecast for 1.0 percent growth, data showed before the start of trade.
Asking prices for homes in England and Wales are an average 3.1 percent lower this month than a year ago, property web site Rightmove said on Monday.
That matched July's annual fall, but a monthly decline of 2.2 percent this month more than reversed July's 0.6 percent rise from June, leaving the average price of a home at 222,762 pounds.
Britain's economy should return to growth in the second half of 2009, although the speed of recovery will depend on the effect of bank lending constraints and the state of the global economy, Bank of England policymaker Andrew Sentance said in an article for the Sunday Times newspaper. No other British economic data was due for release on Monday so investors will look ahead to the afternoon release of the U.S. Empire State index for August, which is expected to rise to 1.00, up from -0.55 in July, and the U.S. NAHB index for August, which is seen rising to a reading of 18, up from 17 in July.
* Wall St snaps 4-week winning streak as data weighs
* GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian stocks fall on recovery doubts
* Nikkei slides 2.2 percent after rally; yen hurts
* FOREX-Yen up as recovery trades blunted by US data
* TREASURIES-Rise in Asia on U.S. economy outlook
* Oil extends decline below $67 on gloomy econ data
* PRECIOUS-Gold extends losses, sinks towards $940
* METALS-Shanghai copper and zinc fall on LME correction
British stocks to watch on Monday are:
BARCLAYS
Barclays is attempting to recruit five JP Morgan investment bankers with a bonus package worth a total of 30 million pounds, The Sunday Telegraph reported, without citing sources.
Also, Barclays and Societe Generale have received investment banking licences for Saudi Arabia, the Financial Times reported on Monday, quoting the Saudi markets regulator.
ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND
Britain's financial regulator has launched a supervisory review of Royal Bank of Scotland's takeover of ABN Amro, the Scottish bank said on Sunday.
ROYAL DUTCH SHELL
Royal Dutch Shell has made a 1.5 billion pounds ($2.48 billion) approach for Australian coal seam gas producer Arrow Energy, The Sunday Telegraph reported, without citing sources.
BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO
The tobacco firm, has recruited Richard Burrows, a former Bank of Ireland chairman, to be its new chairman, The Sunday Times reported, without citing sources.
MINERS
The China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) said on Monday it would negotiate with the three top iron ore miners, using the price it agreed with Australian miner Fortescue Metals Group as a reference.
RIO TINTO
Rio Tinto, Australia's largest iron ore miner, does not see a price pact between smaller rival Fortescue Metals Group
Also, Australian packaging group Amcor Ltd is set to buy Rio Tinto's Alcan packaging unit for $2 billion, Australian media reported Monday.
XSTRATA
The mining giant has redoubled its attempt to win over the investors of its rival and merger target Anglo American, The Guardian said on Monday. Xstrata also hopes that Anglo's new chairman, Sir John Parker, will be more receptive to the benefits of a tie-up than the rest of the board, who have so far been unreceptive to the case presented by its rival, the newspaper added.
BRITISH SKY BROADCASTING
BSkyB has written to the BBC Trust expressing serious concerns over the Trust's handling of Project Canvas, a plan drawn up by the BBC in partnership with ITV, BT and Five, which aims to create an internet-connected successor to the Freeview broadcast service, the Financial Times said on Monday.
DIAGEO
The world's biggest spirits group, said on Sunday it was taking legal action against British grocer J Sainsbury, over alleged copyright infringement of its Pimm's brand.
ITV
The broadcaster's target of a 38.5 percent "share of commercial impacts" by the time of the switch to digital in 2012 has so far not been met, the Daily Telegraph said on Monday.
RAYMARINE
The British maker of electronic equipment for boats, has received a takeover approach from Garmin, the No. 1 U.S. navigation device maker, The Sunday Times reported, without citing sources.
ASHTEAD
Britain's largest plant hire company, is set to equip its UK sales force with Apple iPhones, to enable them to provide instant quotes and information about the availability of equipment, The Times said on Monday.
MICHAEL PAGE INTERNATIONAL
The recruitment firm reports first-half results.
HILL & SMITH HOLDINGS
The safety barrier and street lighting group posts first-half results.
DRAGON OIL
The oil explorer posts first-half results.
(Reporting by Jon Hopkins; Editing by Dan Lalor and Simon Jessop)