LIVE MARKETS-What's on the radar: Umicore warning, Ahold margin squeeze, Thomas Cook bidders

April 23 - Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Helen Reid. Reach her on Messenger to share your thoughts on the market: helen.reid.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net

WHAT'S ON THE RADAR: UMICORE WARNING, AHOLD MARGIN SQUEEZE, THOMAS COOK BIDDERS (0649 GMT)

European shares are set to rise slightly as equity investors returned from an Easter break to find oil prices at five-month highs. The rally in crude should help the oil major-heavy FTSE 100 outperform, with futures up 0.4 percent, while futures for France, Germany and Spain were up 0.1 to 0.3 percent.

Earnings are streaming in, with battery maker Umicore among the biggest movers pre-market after it warned revenue and earnings growth in 2020 would be lower than previously expected. Its shares are seen down 5 to 10 percent.

Car parts and automotive semiconductor companies are also among those reporting, with varied results. Plastic Omnium warned of a decline in worldwide auto production while reporting an increase in Q1 revenues, and auto chipmaker Melexis said slowing global car sales and trade tensions had weighed on performance.

Plastic Omnium is seen down 2-3 percent, along with Melexis. Faurecia meanwhile is expected to rise 2 percent after it confirmed its full-year target and reported a rise in Q1 sales.

Shares in French supermarket Casino are seen rising slightly after it announced it was expanding its partnership with Amazon after a successful earlier deal with its Monoprix chain in Paris.

Dutch supermarket chain Ahold Delhaize is expected to fall 2 percent after saying an 11-day strike at its “Stop & Shop” chain in the U.S. would hurt margins. Bernstein cut the stock to 'neutral' from 'outperform'.

In M&A news, Thomas Cook shares could jump 10 to 15 percent, traders say, after a Sky News report on Saturday said the tour operator has been approached by potential bidders.

And Anglo American shares could rise after the Telegraph reported the miner has called in investment banks to help it defend against a possible takeover bid from Volcan Investments.

(Helen Reid)

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FUTURES INCH UP AS RESULTS STREAM IN: FAURECIA, MELEXIS, CASINO IN FOCUS (0612 GMT)

Futures for European indices are edging higher this morning with the FTSE 100 in the lead - likely boosted by oil majors Shell and BP - while earnings start to roll in.

We've got results from a couple of French car parts suppliers - Plastic Omnium and Faurecia - which show different pictures with Plastic Omnium warning of a decline in worldwide auto production while Faurecia confirmed its full-year target.

Belgium's Melexis, which makes chips for cars, also said slowing global car sales and trade tensions had weighed on performance.

French retailer Casino is also in the spotlight: it announced the expansion of a partnership with Amazon, and also sold a portfolio of hypermarkets and supermarkets to U.S. asset manager Apollo Global in a deal worth up to 470 million euros ($528.6 million).

Here are your headlines:

France's Casino expands partnership with Amazon

French fashion group SMCP forms partnership with China's JD.com

TechnipFMC wins major contract for ConocoPhillips TOR II development

Car parts group Faurecia confirms FY target as Q1 sales climb

BRIEF-Melexis Q1 EBIT Down At EUR 15.7 Mln

Danone's Bledina France arm wins B-Corp certification

Plastic Omnium's Q1 revenues rise, expects decline in worldwide auto production

French retailer Casino sells assets to Apollo Global

Activist Knight Vinke calls for Uniper split to end Fortum deadlock

Barclays to cut investment bankers' bonuses- FT

BRIEF-Umicore Sees FY 2019 Recurring EBIT Between 475 And 525 Million Euros

(Helen Reid)

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EUROPEAN STOCKS TO DRIFT HIGHER AS OIL JUMPS (0534 GMT)

Oil is in the spotlight today, with Brent crude hitting its highest since November 2018 yesterday after Washington announced all Iran sanction waivers would end by May.

Helped in part by this jump in crude, European stocks are set to make some progress as investors return from Easter break to face a busy week of earnings reports.

Stocks in Asia rose marginally as many markets reopened after the long Easter break, while oil jumped to its highest this year as the United States tightened sanctions on Iran.

Financial spreadbetters expect London's oil major-heavy FTSE 100 to open 22 points higher at 7,482, Frankfurt's DAX to open 11 points higher at 12,233, and Paris' CAC 40 to open 4 points higher at 5,584.

(Helen Reid)

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(Reporting by Helen Reid, Danilo Masoni, Josephine Mason and Thyagaraju Adinarayan)