The FTSE 100 saw marginal movement on Monday, hovering just above the flatline at the 8,080 mark. Investors remained cautious after a subdued end to the previous week, with focus shifting to corporate earnings and the broader outlook of the UK economy.

The session saw heavyweight miners perform strongly, as Anglo American, Glencore, and Rio Tinto each gained over 1%. These gains were driven by rising prices for ferrous and base metals, with positive market sentiment around resource demand and production outlooks. The demand for these materials remains strong, supporting a favorable environment for these mining giants.

In particular, Melrose stood out with a nearly 8% surge in its stock price. This jump came after the company retained its outlook and provided optimistic guidance regarding its cash flow for the upcoming year, pointing to continued positive demand trends across its sectors.

Meanwhile, GSK also posted gains, climbing over 1%, recovering some of the losses from Friday. This was linked to the announcement of US President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, a known vaccine skeptic, had caused some concern in the healthcare sector, but GSK’s recovery in price signals investor optimism.

On the other hand, builders were under pressure, with companies like Taylor Wimpey, Land Securities, and British Land experiencing declines close to 1%. The downward movement in these stocks was largely driven by data from Rightmove, which showed that UK home prices fell by 1.4% in November. The drop in house prices indicates potential cooling in the UK housing market, with higher borrowing costs and ongoing economic uncertainties possibly contributing to weaker demand in the property sector.

As the week progresses, market watchers will be keeping a close eye on further earnings reports and economic data to better assess the direction of the UK economy and the broader global market trends.

The Upcoming IPOs in this week and coming weeks are NTPC Green, Lomosaic India, C2C Advanced System, Rajesh Power Services, Rosmerta Digital, Avanse Financial and Nisus Finance.

The Current active IPO are Zinka Logistics Solution (Black Buck), and Onyx Biotec.

For more insights into financial trends , visit our Top News Headlines. You can also explore investment opportunities in the market and apply for upcoming IPOs through our Best IPO to Apply Now section.