UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Oct. 1

(Adds company news items, futures)
Oct 1 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 19
points at 7,427 on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures
FFIc1 up 0.12% ahead of the cash market open.
* ASTRAZENECA: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration declined to approve
AstraZeneca Plc's AZN.L combo therapy to treat a form of lung disease, the
drugmaker said on Tuesday.
* FERGUSON: Plumbing parts distributor Ferguson Plc FERG.L on Tuesday
posted a 7% rise in full-year profit, benefiting from better margins and cost
cuts.
*JD SPORTS FASHION: Britain's competition watchdog on Tuesday said it has
referred JD Sports Fashion's JD.L acquisition of smaller rival Footasylum to
an in-depth investigation, as it believes the completed deal may stem market
competition.
* WPP: World's largest advertising agency WPP.L has appointed John Rogers,
the boss of retailer Sainsbury's Argos SBRY.L , as its new finance director, to
take over from the outgoing Paul Richardson in early 2020.
* PRUDENTIAL: Prudential Plc's PRU.L Asian asset management unit
Eastspring Investments is buying 50.1% of Thanachart Fund Management Co. Ltd.
(TFUND) for 4.21 billion baht ($137.5 million), just a year after entering the
Thai mutual fund market via an acquisition. * GOLD: Gold prices inched lower on Tuesday, hovering near the two-month low
hit in the previous session, as uncertainties arising from the U.S.-China trade
war bolstered the dollar.
* OIL: Oil prices rebounded in early Asian trade on Tuesday after production
at the world's largest oil producers fell in the third quarter, although demand
concerns continued to keep a keep a lid on prices. * The UK blue chip index closed down 0.2% lower on Monday weighed by oil
majors as concerns over global growth resurfaced due to a weak economic outlook
for the world's largest crude importer, China, amid simmering trade tensions
with the United States. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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TODAY'S UK PAPERS
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