FTSE 100 Ends Higher

Equities in London ended Monday's session higher, with the benchmark FTSE closing near a six-month peak of 7,550 points, driven by gains among heavyweight materials shares.

Sentiment remained somewhat upbeat amid growing speculation that China will gradually move away from its strict zero-COVID policy after health authorities eased testing requirements across major cities over the weekend.

Asia-focused Prudential rallied more than 5% to lead the FTSE 100, while big miners Rio Tinto and Anglo American were also among the top performers, up more than 1% each.

In other corporate news, Britain's Vodafone Group said Chief Executive Nick Read would step down at the end of this year.