Housebuilders and property companies bucked a downward trend on the stock market on Monday.

The FTSE 100 closed down 30 points at 6,829 dragged down by weakness among mining and energy stocks.

However, the FTSE REIT index recovered 0.74% and the biggest listed housebuilders also recorded strong gains.

Taylor Wimpey surged 3.5%, Barratt Developments rose 2.8% and Persimmon climbed 2.6%.