FTSE seen opening up

LONDON (Reuters) - The FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 9-18 points higher on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers, shrugging aside a weak showing on Wall Street, with strength in oil issues thanks to firmer crude prices expected to underpin the London market.

The UK blue chip index closed 17.85 points higher on Monday at 4,579.64, extending the post-Christmas and New Year rally into a fifth session as more traders return to work following the holidays.

British consumer morale sank lower in December as worries about job losses resulting from the economic downturn soured the Christmas spirit.

The Nationwide Building Society said its consumer confidence index fell four points to 47 last month -- the lowest since the survey began in 2004.

"As the UK enters recession it is likely to be some time before we see confidence returning to levels seen in 2007," said Fionnuala Earley, Nationwide chief economist.

* Wall Street slips on telecom, financials; Apple jumps

* Nikkei up 0.3 pct on yen, hopes for US econ steps

* Dollar dips vs yen after hitting nearly 1-mth high

* Oil steady above $48 on MidEast, Russian tensions