FX.co ★ FTSE 100 Inches Up for 3rd Day

On Monday, the FTSE 100 trimmed its earlier gains but still managed to edge higher for the third consecutive session, with investors anticipating the UK budget announcement on Wednesday. Fresnillo experienced a notable increase of over 7.5%, while Endeavour rose approximately 4%. The financial sector also performed well, with Standard Chartered climbing more than 2.5%, Barclays gaining nearly 2%, and HSBC, Lloyds, and NatWest each advancing between 0.6% and 1%. In the mining sector, Glencore saw an increase of more than 3%, Rio Tinto about 1.2%, Antofagasta 1.1%, and Anglo American 1%. BHP acknowledged holding preliminary discussions with Anglo American after a failed acquisition attempt in 2024, but it has since abandoned its recent approach. Anglo American, which is in the process of merging with Teck as part of a strategic restructuring to maintain its independence, declined BHP's proposal. Conversely, BAE Systems fell by 3%, Diageo decreased by 2%, National Grid was down by over 1%, and Unilever slipped by approximately 0.9%.