July 20 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen

opening lower on Monday, with futures down 0.1%.

* YOUGOV ( YUGVF ): YouGov ( YUGVF ) is considering Wayne Levings, the

former head of market research firm Kantar's operations, as one

of the candidates to succeed co-founder and interim CEO Stephan

Shakespeare, Sky News reported.

* IP GROUP ( IPZYF ): Railpen, the largest shareholder in Britain's IP

Group ( IPZYF ), said it has made a sweetened takeover offer for

the early-stage science investor, nearly a month after IP Group ( IPZYF )

rejected an earlier approach.

* HOUSING: Asking prices for newly advertised British houses and

apartments recorded an unusually large fall in the four weeks to

July 11, as the men's soccer World Cup and record temperatures

distracted buyers who also face high borrowing costs, property

website Rightmove said.

* OIL: Brent oil prices rose 2% to more than $90 per barrel, as

escalating U.S.-Iran hostilities in the Middle East restricted

oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

* GOLD: Gold prices dipped as an escalation in the Middle East

war pushed Brent crude above $90 a barrel, heightening inflation

concerns after many U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers signalled

that interest rate hikes may be needed to curb price pressures.

* METALS: Copper prices edged higher, supported by shrinking

inventories and supply risks, although uncertainty over demand

outlook capped gains.

* FTSE: London's FTSE 100 ended higher on Friday as utilities

shares rose and energy giants gained, tracking higher crude oil

prices amid escalating Middle East tensions, while the focus was

on politics as Andy Burnham became the British Labour Party

leader.

* UK CORPORATE DIARY:

Big Yellow Group ( BYLOF ) Q1 trading update

* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please

click on:

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(Compiled by Neeshita Beura in Bengaluru)