UK Stocks-Factors to watch on May 12

May 12 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening lower on Tuesday, with futures FFIc1 down 0.5%.

INTERTEK: Activist investor PrimeStone Capital urged Intertek's ITRK.L board to "engage constructively" with EQT EQTAB.ST, after it rejected a third sweetened takeover proposal from the private equity firm.

BAT: A U.S. judge dismissed the government's criminal case accusing British American Tobacco BATS.L of conspiring to violate American sanctions by selling cigarettes to North Korea, after the company complied with a three-year deferred prosecution agreement.

SPENDING: British consumers cut their spending last month for the first time since November 2024 as they focused on essentials rather than leisure, a survey showed.

OIL: Oil prices rose nearly 1% as talks to end the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran appeared fragile.

METALS: Shanghai copper logged its biggest daily gain in months on supply concerns and expectations of higher demand from China.

GOLD: Gold prices were largely steady, as markets weighed the developments in the Middle East conflict and interest rate expectations.

FTSE: The UK's blue-chip FTSE 100 rose on Monday as mining shares jumped and Airtel Africa AAF.L hit a record, helping the index defy escalating risk-off sentiment across global markets.

UK CORPORATE DIARY:

For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/

TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines PRESS/GB