Market close snapshot
U.K. equities closed higher on Monday, with sector strength in Aerospace & Defense, Banking and Mining supporting a small gain in the broader market. At the close in London, the United Kingdom 100 climbed 0.25%.
Notable individual movers
- NatWest Group PLC (LON:NWG) was the session's top gainer, up 4.76% or 27.60 points to finish at 607.80.
- Melrose Industries PLC (LON:MRON) advanced 3.89% or 25.00 points to close at 667.00.
- BAE Systems PLC (LON:BAES) rose 3.10% or 61.00 points to end the day at 2,029.00.
Largest decliners
- Mondi PLC (LON:MNDI) led losses, falling 4.27% or 40.80 points to 913.80 at the close.
- Smurfit WestRock PLC (LON:SWR) declined 4.16% or 156.00 points to finish at 3,596.00.
- Barratt Redrow PLC (LON:BTRW) was down 3.86% or 15.00 points to 373.90.
Market breadth and listings
On the London Stock Exchange, there were more falling stocks than advancers. Decliners outnumbered advancers by 832 to 790, while 544 stocks finished unchanged.
Commodities
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery was down 0.65% or 32.61 to $5,013.69 a troy ounce. Crude oil for April delivery gained 1.05% or 0.66 to trade at $63.41 a barrel, and the April Brent oil contract rose 0.99% or 0.67 to $68.42 a barrel.
Currency and indices
On the foreign-exchange front, GBP/USD was unchanged 0.14% at 1.36, while EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.02% at 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.16% at 96.97.
Outlook notes
Monday's trade closed with a modest positive for the main U.K. index, led by pockets of strength in Aerospace & Defense, Banking and Mining names, while industrial and materials-related stocks accounted for some of the day's heaviest declines. Commodity prices showed mixed moves into the settlement of the session, and currency futures were largely steady.