On the downside, precious metal miners fell 1.3% as Fresnillo lost 7.1% after Morgan Stanley downgraded its rating to 'underweight' from 'equal-weight'. Heavyweight energy stocks added 0.8%, tracking a jump in crude oil prices. Vodafone jumped 6.2% after Iliad said it submitted a proposal to the telecom company to merge their Italian businesses. The blue-chip FTSE 100 gained 0.4% as of 0926 GMT, while the more domestically-focussed FTSE 250 mid-cap index also gained 0.2%. The UK's FTSE 100 advanced on Monday as heavyweight energy stocks rose, tracking strength in crude oil prices, while Vodafone's shares topped the index after telecom firm Iliad submitted a proposal to create a joint venture in Italy. Reuters | London | Updated: 18-12-2023 15:17 IST | Created: 18-12-2023 15:14 IST Representative Image Image Credit: Flickr