The FTSE 100 powered past 10,000 points for the first time ever today as “old and boring” UK stocks continued to outpace their tech-savvy American rivals.
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London Hits All-Time High
On the first trading day of 2026, London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index soared to an all-time high of 10,046.25.
That follows a 21% climb in 2025 – its best performance since the days of the financial crisis back in 2009. The FTSE 100 zoomed past Wall Street’s S&P, which added 16.4% in 2025 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq, which climbed 20.4%.
U.S. markets were hit by a weaker dollar, President Trump’s tariff tirade, consumer uncertainty, the government shutdown and fears over an AI valuation bubble.
“The FTSE 100 hit the 10,000 jackpot level immediately after rounding off a tremendous year for UK shares,” said Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell trading group.
Susannah Streeter, an independent financial commentator, told the BBC that the 10,000-point marker was “a psychologically important milestone” and showed London’s blue-chip index was “back in favor” with investors.
“Concerns continue to swirl about the super-high valuation of US tech sector,” she said, making the UK market more appealing.
London Offers Stability
Coatsworth said that while some London-quoted companies were sometimes considered “old and boring” its mix of industries, including mining and banking, appealed to investors seeking stability during uncertain times. “Investors often seek solace in companies whose goods and services should be in demand no matter what’s happening in the world,” he said. “For example, we all need to pay insurance or water bills, or those in the habit are still likely to buy cigarettes or vapes, and the FTSE 100 has plenty of companies playing on these themes on offer.”
Stocks to perform strongly in 2025 included gold and silver miner Fresnillo (GB:FRES), which rose 447% as investors flocked to the precious metal as a safe haven during economic and geopolitical volatility, Airtel Africa (GB:AAF), which provides telecommunications and mobile money services to customers in Nigeria, East Africa, and Francophone Africa and industrial giant Rolls-Royce (GB:RR).
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