Banks and life insurance companies were among the biggest gainers on Monday on the export-focused FTSE 100 of the UK, as investors anticipated a week that would be filled with important domestic economic data, including inflation.
As of 0824 GMT, both the blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) and the mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) were up 0.2% and aiming to extend gains to a fourth straight day.
The FTSE 350 life insurance sector (.FTNMX301010) and banks (.FTNMX301010) both saw gains of 0.4% and 0.6%, respectively.
Marks & Spencer (MKS.L), one of the individual stocks, increased 1.4% in response to news of its plans to open 20 new stores throughout Britain, creating 3,400 new jobs.
Rightmove (RMV.L) statistics revealed that asking prices for properties increased for the first time in two months as the housing market stabilised following the upheaval brought on by former prime minister Liz Truss’s “mini-budget.”
Investors will be keeping an eye on a number of data points this week, including retail sales and consumer inflation in Britain, for indicators of how the economy performed at the end of the previous year.