London's FTSE 100 started the week on the front foot, ticking up 30 points to 8,292.
B&Q owner Kingfisher slumped as trading got underway though, after warning of a £31 million increase in costs due to the Budget and reporting a drop in third-quarter sales.
ITV soared in the meantime as reports emerged that a string of firms were weighing up potential bids for all or part of the broadcaster.
Anglo American also climbed following news it had penned a deal to sell its steelmaking coal business to Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) for up to $3.8 billion.
And finally elsewhere, Bitcoin once again appeared on the verge of hitting the $100,000 mark on Monday morning, having climbed to just over $98,200.