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The FTSE 100 is the UK’s flagship large-cap equity benchmark, capturing the 100 largest, most liquid London Stock Exchange listings after adjusting for free float and investability. Maintained by FTSE Russell, it is market-cap weighted rather than price-weighted, so bigger companies influence performance more in proportion to their tradable value.
Eligibility screens cover liquidity, nationality, and free float standards; corporate actions are managed under FTSE Russell’s rulebook to keep continuity. The index is reviewed four times a year, with additions and deletions implemented after the review timetable. Because many members derive a majority of revenues outside the UK, the FTSE 100 often reflects global risk appetite, commodity trends, and sterling moves as much as domestic data.
Investors commonly reference both price and total-return versions, and track it through UCITS ETFs and derivatives. In portfolios, the FTSE 100 typically supplies dividend income and mega-cap stability, but exhibits sector tilts toward energy, financials, consumer staples, healthcare, and materials; technology is a smaller slice than in U.S. benchmarks.
The FTSE 100 index is the UK market’s shorthand for large-cap sentiment, but its economic role is subtler. Because many members earn most revenues overseas, the index is a barometer of global conditions filtered through sterling. When the pound weakens, exporters’ overseas earnings translate into higher GBP profits, often lifting the index; a stronger pound can have the opposite effect.
Domestically, the FTSE 100 index underpins pensions, insurance portfolios, and retail investment products, influencing household wealth effects and corporate funding costs. Dividend distributions from mega-caps matter for income funds and annuities, while share-price levels affect equity issuance, M&A terms, and executive incentive plans.
Sector composition means commodity prices, bank net-interest margins, and defensive cash-flow dynamics shape the cycle. Policymakers and corporates watch the FTSE index alongside gilt yields and the housing market to gauge financial conditions. However, it is not a proxy for the broader UK economy: small businesses and domestic mid-caps sit outside it, and real-time labour, housing, and services data often tell a different story. Used correctly, the FTSE 100 complements, rather than replaces, on-the-ground macro indicators.
Feature | FTSE 100 | FTSE 250 |
---|---|---|
Size & scope | 100 largest UK-listed free-float large caps | Next 250 after the FTSE 100 (mid-caps) |
Weighting | Free-float market-cap weighted | Free-float market-cap weighted |
Revenue mix | Heavily overseas, multinational | More UK-domestic exposure on average |
Sector tilt (typical) | Energy, financials, staples, healthcare, materials | Industrials, consumer, financials, real estate, healthcare |
Volatility & beta | Lower beta, more defensive in global shocks | Higher beta, more cyclical and UK-sensitive |
Income profile | Higher aggregate dividends, mature cash generators | Lower yield, more reinvestment and growth |
Liquidity & derivatives | Deep liquidity; active futures/options | Good liquidity; fewer derivative instruments |
Rebalance | Quarterly by FTSE Russell | Quarterly by FTSE Russell |
Common use | Core UK large-cap exposure and income | UK domestic growth and cyclical tilt |
The FTSE 100 captures the 100 largest eligible London Stock Exchange listings after adjusting for free float and investability, and it is maintained by FTSE Russell. It is reviewed quarterly – March, June, September, December – with changes implemented after the review timetable so the index remains liquid, tradable, and representative of the UK’s blue-chip universe. Additions and deletions follow published ground rules.
Sector weights shift with prices and membership, but the FTSE 100 typically skews toward energy, financials, consumer staples, healthcare, and materials, with smaller slices in industrials, utilities, telecoms, and technology. Because many members are multinationals, commodity prices and defensive cash-flow sectors often shape returns more than high-growth tech, distinguishing the index from U.S. benchmarks dominated by mega-cap technology. Weights evolve.
The FTSE index is reviewed quarterly – in March, June, September, and December – by FTSE Russell. Changes are announced and then implemented after market close on the effective date, taking effect at the next session. Between reviews, corporate actions are processed per the rulebook to preserve index continuity, investability, and free-float accuracy without distorting the level. Extraordinary events are handled case-by-case.
The leaderboard changes with prices and corporate actions, but recent heavyweights typically include Shell, AstraZeneca, HSBC, Unilever, BP, Diageo, GSK, and RELX, alongside sizeable positions in consumer staples and energy. For precise rankings and weights, always consult the latest FTSE Russell constituent-weights file or your data terminal, as index composition and investability adjustments evolve over time. Rankings update after reviews.
It’s a free-float market-cap weighted index: each constituent’s weight reflects its investable market value (price × shares × free-float factor), normalised by a published divisor. Real-time values update as prices move, while periodic investability, corporate actions, and voting-rights screens ensure the basket remains liquid and tradable. The calculation and governance are documented in FTSE Russell’s UK Index Series ground rules.
Recent records were set in August 2025. The FTSE 100’s highest closing level was 9,321.40, and its intraday high reached 9,357.51 during the same period.
Use the London Stock Exchange index page, FTSE Russell’s analytics portal, or reputable data terminals and newswires for tick-by-tick updates and official factsheets. Retail investors can also follow live quotes inside broker apps; in India, quite a few platforms show international indices on their market-watch. Remember London trading runs 8:00–16:30 UK time, so IST updates appear during those hours. Adjust seasonally.
No. Constituents are UK-listed and classified to the UK index series, but many are multinational groups with operations and revenue bases worldwide. Some have primary listings in London and headquarters in other countries, or earn most sales overseas. What matters for inclusion is eligibility under the FTSE UK rulebook – free float, liquidity, and nationality assignment – not that activities are confined to the UK.
The FTSE index is calculated and quoted in pounds sterling (GBP), and FTSE 100 constituents trade in GBP on the London Stock Exchange. Some ETFs that track the index offer currency-hedged or non-hedged share classes and may be listed in other currencies, but the underlying benchmark is sterling-denominated, so INR-based investors experience an additional GBP/INR currency return unless they hedge.