Shares on the London market closed modestly higher on Monday, driven by advances in Aerospace & Defense, Banking and Mining names.
At the close in London, the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 was up 0.25%.
The session's top performers included NatWest Group PLC (LON:NWG), which gained 4.76% - rising 27.60 points to finish at 607.80. Melrose Industries PLC (LON:MRON) added 3.89%, or 25.00 points, to reach 667.00 at the close. BAE Systems PLC (LON:BAES) also outpaced the market, advancing 3.10% or 61.00 points to end the day at 2,029.00.
On the downside, Mondi PLC (LON:MNDI) led decliners, slipping 4.27% - down 40.80 points to 913.80 at the close. Smurfit WestRock PLC (LON:SWR) lost 4.16%, or 156.00 points, finishing at 3,596.00, while Barratt Redrow PLC (LON:BTRW) fell 3.86% - a decline of 15.00 points to 373.90.
Market breadth was mixed: falling issues outnumbered advancing ones on the London Stock Exchange by 832 to 790, with 544 stocks unchanged.
Commodities traded divergently: Gold Futures for April delivery declined 0.65% or 32.61 to $5,013.69 a troy ounce. By contrast, crude oil strengthened - Crude oil for delivery in April rose 1.05% or 0.66 to $63.41 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract climbed 0.99% or 0.67 to trade at $68.42 a barrel.
Currency markets showed limited movement. GBP/USD was effectively unchanged at 0.14% to 1.36, and EUR/GBP was largely flat with a 0.02% change to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures moved up 0.16% to 96.97.
The session illustrated a market where sector leadership was concentrated - notably in Aerospace & Defense, Banking and Mining - even as overall participation remained fragmented and commodity prices moved in opposite directions.