The FTSE 100 opened higher on Monday, supported by strong gains in mining and defence stocks, though the index remained just short of the key 10,000 level. The UK benchmark was up around 0.4%, or 36 points, near 9,987, as investors reacted to geopolitical developments.
Mining stocks led the advance as safe-haven demand pushed gold prices higher. Endeavour Mining jumped 4.33% to £3,808 and Fresnillo advanced 4.30% to £3,496, tracking a near 2% rise in gold prices.
Broader mining names also strengthened, with Anglo American gaining 3.03% to £3,132, Glencore rose 2.56% to £419.25, and Rio Tinto gaining 1.77% to £6,092, supported by optimism in global commodities.
Defence shares also outperformed as geopolitical uncertainty boosted expectations of sustained military spending.
BAE Systems climbed 4.90% to £1,840, while Babcock International rose 3.54% to £1,318.
Energy majors BP and Shell traded higher despite Brent crude easing below $61 a barrel, as markets assessed the limited immediate impact of developments in Venezuela on global oil supply.
Next slipped 2.07% to £13,255, while Bunzl dipped 1.84% to £2,026 and Imperial Brands fell 1.89% to £3,066.
Heavyweights Unilever and AstraZeneca also traded lower, declining 0.83% and 0.38%, respectively.
Aldi reported a record-breaking festive period, with sales reaching £1.65 billion in the four weeks to Christmas Eve, marking a 3% YoY increase.
The supermarket recorded over 57 million transactions, its highest ever, and saw strong demand for its premium range, which grew more than 12%.
Edtech firm Multiverse, founded by Euan Blair, disclosed further job cuts as losses widened. The company made 55 redundancies in the year to March 2025 and reported a pre-tax loss of £63.3 million, despite revenue climbing to nearly £80 million.
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Asian markets traded higher, led by Japanese stocks, after the Nikkei 225 surged by 3%.
US futures are in positive territory after the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7% and the S&P 500 index lifted 0.2% by the end of Friday’s session
Oil traders in Asia gave a calm response to the Venezuela developments as the price of Brent Crude settled 0.7% lower at $60.30 a barrel. Gold is up 2% at $4419 an ounce.
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