Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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Other positions taken by clients trading this market
Use this to see how IG client accounts with positions on this market are trading other markets. Data is calculated to the nearest 1%, and updated automatically every 15 minutes.
This is calculated to the nearest 1%.
The FTSE 100 is an index consisting of the 100 biggest companies by market capitalisation on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). Created in January 1984 by the Financial Times and the London Stock Exchange, it now represents nearly 80% of the LSE’s total market cap. As a result, many traders and investors consider the FTSE 100 to be the most important indicator of the health of the UK stock market and economy. Other FTSE indices include the FSTE 250, FTSE 350, FTSE SmallCap and FTSE All-Share.
There is a set of eligibility criteria that a company must meet to be join included on the FTSE 100, including that it must be listed on the LSE, it must be denominated in pounds, and it must meet minimum float and stock liquidity requirements. The stocks listed on the FTSE 100 are reviewed every quarter and then companies are added or removed from the index if necessary.
The price of the index is determined by the price movement of the constituent stocks. Stocks in the index are weighted by market capitalisation, which means changes in the market value of larger companies have a greater influence on the movement of the index. The FTSE 100’s price is updated every 15 seconds.
| Key event | Date | Level |
| Launch | January 1984 | 1000.00 |
| Record high | May 2018 | 7787.97 |
| Record low | June 1984 | 1039.60 |
*As at 3 July 2019.
How can I trade the FTSE 100?
There are a few things to consider before you start trading the FTSE.
First, it is important to understand how the FTSE is impacted by the British pound. The UK stock index and UK currency typically have a negative correlation: when the pound falls, the FTSE 100 rises. This is because many FTSE 100 constituents earn a significant amount of their income overseas. So, as the pound depreciates, the value of overseas earnings rises, which boosts constituents’ share prices and the value of the FTSE 100.
Secondly, it’s a good idea to keep up to date with any economic data announcements that could move the market price. For the FTSE 100, these include British employment rates, inflation figures, retail sales and any political announcements surrounding Brexit. Visit IG’s economic calendar to view upcoming macroeconomic events.
And finally, anyone trading the FTSE 100 needs to have a broad knowledge of the companies on the index itself. As the index is weighted, larger companies will have more impact on the price of the FTSE 100. So, keeping an eye on the large players such as Royal Dutch Shell, HSBC Holdings and Unilever will be key to understanding changes in the index’s price.
If you choose to trade the FTSE 100 with derivatives such as spread bets or CFDs, you can speculate on the price of the index, exchange traded funds (ETFs) that track it, or its constituent shares. As you don’t take ownership of any underlying assets, you can go long or short on the FTSE 100’s price. You will trade using leverage, which means you only put down a fraction of the capital required to gain full market exposure. Leverage can magnify profits, but there is also the risk of magnified losses.
Another method of trading the FTSE 100 involves trading futures contracts, which are an agreement to trade at a specific price on a specific date. It’s possible to trade index futures themselves or speculate on their price with CFDs and spread bets.
Learn more about trading indices, learn how to spread bet on the FTSE 100, or open an account to start trading.
Investing is quite different from trading. You can’t invest in the FTSE 100 directly, but you could invest in a handful of listed companies, or spread your investment out across all the constituents by using a FTSE 100 ETF. When choosing to invest, remember that it involves buying and selling assets outright and paying the full value of the position upfront.
Minimum size 0.20
Contract size GBP 10
One Pip means 1 Index Point
Value of one Pip GBP 10
Margin 5%
Minimum stop distance 4
Minimum guaranteed stop distance 2.0%
Your aggregate position in this market will be margined in the following tiers:
| Tier | Position size | Margin |
| 1 | 0 - 32.5 Contracts - GBP | 5% |
| 2 | 32.5 - 195 Contracts - GBP | 5% |
| 3 | 195 - 325 Contracts - GBP | 5% |
| 4 | 325 + Contracts - GBP | 6% |
If your aggregate position is larger than Tier 1, your margin requirement will not be reduced by non-guaranteed stops.
Please note: we have tried to ensure that the information here is as accurate as possible, but it is intended for guidance only and any errors will not be binding on us.
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What does FTSE 100 mean?
FTSE is short for Financial Times Stock Exchange; derived from the names of two companies that launched the FTSE – ‘Financial Times’ and ‘London Stock Exchange’. The ‘100’ represents the number of stocks listed on the exchange, which are the top 100 companies on the LSE by market cap.
How is the FTSE 100 calculated?
The FTSE 100 is calculated by weighing all stocks listed on the London Stock Exchange by market capitalisation. The 100 companies with the highest market cap make it onto the FTSE 100. A market cap weighting means that individual stocks with a higher market cap will represent a higher weight in the index. As a result, the higher the weighting, the bigger the effect that the stock will have on the FTSE 100’s price. Every quarter, the market cap of each company is reviewed, and the FTSE 100 is adjusted if necessary.
What makes a FTSE 100 company?
A FTSE 100 company is made when it meets the criteria set out by the London Stock Exchange. Not only must it have a top-100 market cap on the LSE, but it must also meet specific qualifying criteria. Stocks must be denominated in pounds (GBP) to be listed and meet minimum requirements concerning their nationality, float and stock liquidity.
How will Brexit affect the FTSE 100?
The impact of Brexit on the FTSE 100 will depend on whether the UK leaves with or without a deal. Since the 2016 referendum, the FTSE 100 has tended to move inversely with the pound. This means that while the pound has tended to rise when it seems likely that a deal will be in place for Brexit, the FTSE 100 has tended to fall. Conversely, the pound has tended to fall when a no-deal Brexit seems more likely, causing the FTSE 100 to rise. That’s because UK-based FTSE 100 constituents earn a lot of their income in other countries, and these earnings are worth more when profits are converted to pounds if sterling’s value has fallen relative to other currencies.
Depending on the outcome, the pound may decline further and boost the FTSE 100’s value, or vice versa. Whatever happens, the index’s volatility is likely to continue post-Brexit.
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1 For CFDs, based on revenue excluding FX, published financial statements, October 2016; number of active UK financial spread betting accounts (Investment Trends UK Leveraged Trading Report October 2016); for forex based on number of primary relationships with FX traders (Investment Trends UK Leveraged Trading Report October 2016).
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