ASX 200 closes up 0.1% Mining index up 0.8%; BHP +0.9%, FMG...

	  ASX 200 closes up 0.1% 

	  Mining index up 0.8%; BHP +0.9%, FMG +1.4% 

	  Newcrest Mining up 1.5% 

(Updates to close)

Australian shares settled slightly higher on Monday, as losses in financials and tech stocks were offset by gains in gold and mining stocks, while Newcrest Mining (NCM) rose on backing a A$26.2 billion ($17.8 billion) takeover offer.

The S&P/ASX 200 index (xjo) rose 0.1% to close at 7,267.1 points. The benchmark rose 0.5% last week.

Newcrest climbed 1.5% after the gold miner said it recommended its shareholders vote in favour of Newmont Corp's NEM.N offer at a meeting expected to be held in September or October.

The merger is set to be the third-largest deal ever involving an Australian company and the third-largest globally in 2023. The gold sub-index .AXGD closed 2.5% higher.

Miners .AXMM ended 0.8% higher, with BHP (BHP) and Fortescue (FMG) gaining 0.9% and 1.4%, respectively.

Major indexes on Wall Street slipped on Friday after data showed U.S. consumer sentiment dropped last month on worries that political haggling over raising the borrowing cap could trigger a recession.

Jitters triggered by the uncertainty over lifting the U.S. debt ceiling and the return of bank sector woes persisted among investors globally.

"I guess there is trepidation after a lot of macro information last week and we still have the debt ceiling coming up. So, the market is going to be pretty choppy this week until we get a bit more clarity on macro issues," said Brad Smoling, an analyst at Smoling Stockbroking.

Heavyweight financials sub-index .AXFJ dropped 0.8% with ANZ Group (ANZ) tumbling 4%, its biggest percentage drop since last November.

Among individual stocks, InvoCare Ltd (IVC) shares jumped 12.1% after it revealed a higher A$1.86 billion ($1.26 billion) offer from global private equity firm TPG.

Aristocrat Leisure (ALL) said it will acquire Israel-based online gaming solutions provider NeoGames SA NGMS.O for about $1 billion to improve its foothold in the real-money gaming (RMG) space. Shares rose 2.1%.

In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index (nz50) remained flat, to close at 11,938.84 points. ($1 = 1.4743 Australian dollars)