The FTSE 100 kicked off the week on a positive note, climbing 0.6% on Monday. This uptick comes ahead of a series of crucial central bank announcements. The Bank of Japan is set to reveal its decision on Wednesday, followed by the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England. ING forecasts a 15 basis point hike from the BoJ, a 25 basis point cut from the BoE, and a hold from the Fed, with a possible rate cut in September.

Investors are also bracing for earnings reports from tech giants like Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and Meta Platforms.

Energy shares led the gains in the FTSE 100 this morning, trailed by precious metal miners and industrial metal miners. However, Reckitt Benckiser took a hit, falling 9% due to ongoing lawsuits related to its Enfamil formula.

Pearson dropped 3.5% after reporting a 7.6% decline in first-half sales to £1.75 billion and a 10% dip in pretax profit to £212 million. Despite these setbacks, the company raised its interim dividend by 5.7% to 7.4 pence.

In other developments, GSK received a positive assessment for its RSV drug in Europe. SIG is mulling over raising up to £150 million from investors, and Entain reported robust performance for its BetMGM US joint venture.

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