London equities ended Monday’s session largely unchanged, as strength in mining and healthcare shares helped counter losses among industrial stocks, with investors remaining cautious ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s policy announcement later this week.
The benchmark FTSE 100 hovered around the flatline, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 edged up 0.2%.
Industrial stocks were the biggest drag on the market, sliding 1.6%, while travel and leisure shares also came under pressure, falling 1.2%.
Budget airline Wizz Air slipped 1.4% after it confirmed it had applied for U.S. approval to launch services between the UK and the United States, aiming to gain a foothold in the lucrative transatlantic market.
Overall sentiment stayed subdued as investors remained wary following last week’s volatility, triggered by tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump linked to Greenland, which had included Britain and other European countries. Although those threats have since been withdrawn, markets are still assessing the longer-term risks to global trade should tariffs increasingly be used as a negotiating tactic.
Providing some support to the market, precious metal miners surged to record levels, jumping 5.4%, while industrial metal miners added 1.4%. The gains were driven by optimism around the wider commodities outlook and fresh highs in precious metals prices.
