AstraZeneca AZN.L rose 0.9% after reporting results from two of its late-stage lung cancer trials. The drugmaker said its Tagrisso-Orpathys combination and Daiichi Sankyo-partnered Enhertu met key goals, though it discontinued a separate late-stage study of volrustomig plus chemotherapy in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.
Shares of miners offered among the biggest boosts to the FTSE 100 index as gold prices firmed and copper started the week strongly. Fresnillo FRES.L climbed 1.9% and Antofagasta ANTO.L added 1.5%. Glencore GLEN.L and Anglo American AAL.L gained between 1.3% and 1.8%.
Rolls-Royce climbed 1.8% after Morgan Stanley and Citigroup raised their price targets on the firm.
On the downside, Unilever ULVR.L fell 1.3%, Tesco TSCO.L lost 1.6% and BP BP.L slipped 0.8%, making them among the biggest drags on the blue-chip index.
Traders were also keeping a close eye on UK job market data due on Tuesday and inflation data on Wednesday for further clues on the Bank of England's policy path.
Separately, British employers remained reluctant to hire and business confidence stayed near its weakest levels outside the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
In the housing market, asking prices for newly listed homes posted their biggest August fall since 2018, property website Rightmove said.
Britain's sovereign credit rating was maintained at "AA-", with a stable outlook, by Fitch late on Friday.
Among other stocks, Time Finance TIME.L jumped 9.5% after investment vehicle Bentley Park Ltd. agreed to acquire the SME lender for about £55.1 million ($74.75 million).
FTSE 100 edges higher as miners and AstraZeneca offset caution
Britain's FTSE 100 edged higher on Monday, on track to end six straight days of losses, as strength in mining stocks, AstraZeneca and Rolls-Royce offset broader caution ahead of this week's UK inflation figures.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index .FTSE rose 0.1% to 10,757.91 points by 1022 GMT, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 .FTMC slipped 0.2%.
Global shares edged higher and the dollar slipped towards two-month lows after a run of soft U.S. economic data, including an unexpected drop in retail sales, saw markets reduce bets for an imminent rate hike from the Federal Reserve.
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