FTSE 100

The FTSE 100, or footsie as it is referred to, is a share index of the London Stock Exchanges 100 most highly capitalised UK companies. The index began in 1984 and it had a base level of 1000 and the highest value to date is 6950.6 which was reached on the 30th December 1999.

It is used by many as a guideline to business prosperity and often referred to on news bulletins and finance channels and is the most widely used of the group of FTSE indices.

The companies listed on the FTSE 100 represent about 81% of the whole of the LSE’s market capitalisation. The FTSE All Share Index is a much more comprehensive index than the FTSE 100 but the footsie is the most widely used stock market indicator in the UK.

Other related indices are the FTSE 250 index which lists the 250 largest companies after the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 350 which incorporates the FTSE 100 & FTSE 250 indexes.