Astrazeneca was the leading pharmaceutical company in the United Kingdom as of March 7, 2024, with a market capitalization amounting to approximately 202.4 billion U.S. dollars. GlaxoSmithKline followed as the second largest pharma company in the country, with market capitalization of nearly 86.7 billion U.S. dollars. Examining the development of the FTSE 100 Index, which was launched in January 1984 with a base level of 1,000, increased by more than sevenfold to date. What is the FTSE 100 index? The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, commonly known as the "Footsie", is the most widely recognized stock market index in the United Kingdom. It is made up of the 100 largest blue-chip companies on the London Stock Exchange. Companies from various sectors, such as healthcare, consumer goods, and energy, are included in the index, as are leading banks of the United Kingdom, such as HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, and Barclays. Moreover, it can be seen as a reflection of the investment climate in the United Kingdom. What is not included in the FTSE 100 Index? Most notably, the FTSE 100 Index, like most indices, is not adjusted for inflation. While inflation in the United Kingdom has gone down dramatically since 2023, it might be useful to adjust the historic figures on the index when comparing historic data to current levels. This is especially important when the index seems to have increased by a few percentage points because inflation may have increased at a faster rate than stock prices.

The total market capitalization of all companies trading on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) took a large hit during the early months of 2020, due mostly part to a mass sell-off of shares caused by the fears surrounding the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Between December 2019 and March 2020, the total value of market capitalization decreased by more than 900 billion British pounds (GBP). The overall number of companies currently trading has also been falling. The number of daily trades spiked in March 2020 and then decreased as well. As of February 2025, the total market value of all companies trading on the London Stock Exchange stood at over 4.65 trillion British pounds. European stock exchanges While almost every country has a stock Exchange, in Europe only 5 exchanges are considered major, with total market capital amounting to over one trillion euros. The London Stock Exchange is the second largest in Europe and tenth largest worldwide. As of January 2025, Europe’s largest stock exchange, Euronext had a total market capital of listed companies valued at approximately 6.22 trillion U.S. dollars.

Key information about United Kingdom Market Capitalization: % of GDP

• United Kingdom Market Capitalization accounted for 83.8 % of its Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with a percentage of 70.5 % in the previous year
• UK Market Capitalization: % Nominal GDP is updated yearly, available from Dec 1999 to Dec 2024
• The data reached an all-time high of 131.2 % in Dec 2006 and a record low of 70.5 % in Dec 2023

CEIC calculates annual Market Capitalization as % of Nominal GDP from monthly Market Capitalization and quarterly Nominal GDP. London Stock Exchange provides Market Capitalization in local currency. The Office for National Statistics provides Nominal GDP in local currency. As of 2017, definitions from the revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) have been introduced. Market Capitalization includes domestically listed companies only.


Further information about United Kingdom Market Capitalization: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, FTSE All-Share recorded a daily P/E ratio of 14.4 in Jul 2022
• FTSE 100 closed at 8,674.0 points in Jan 2025

South Africa Market Cap: FTSE/JSE: Capped Top 40 data was reported at 5,049,296.838 ZAR mn in Jun 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5,165,149.750 ZAR mn for May 2018. South Africa Market Cap: FTSE/JSE: Capped Top 40 data is updated monthly, averaging 3,266,747.846 ZAR mn from Feb 2003 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 185 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,908,462.212 ZAR mn in Oct 2015 and a record low of 772,420.061 ZAR mn in Apr 2003. South Africa Market Cap: FTSE/JSE: Capped Top 40 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.Z004: Johannesburg Stock Exchange: Market Capitalization: by Index.

As of May 2025, the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca was the leading company listed on the London Exchange (LSE), with a market capitalization of 159 billion British pounds. This made them the largest of all companies listed on the LSE. Seen as the heart of the global financial community, the London Stock Exchange is the second-largest stock market in Europe and ranks eighth globally. Key information The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is among the largest stock market operators globally and ranks 11th in terms of the oldest stock exchanges in existence, with 224 years of operation as of 2025. Performance after Covid The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound effect on the global economy, causing considerable volatility on the stock market. The London Stock Exchange (LSE) saw a notable decline in the market capitalization value of its listed companies, reaching its lowest value in March 2020 at approximately three trillion British pounds in correlation with a surge in the average daily number of trades, which peaked at over two billion. Following this initial reaction, the LSE observed a decrease in the average daily active traders, alongside a gradual recovery in the market capitalization of the listed companies.

Greece ASE: Market Capitalization: FTSE Athex Market Index data was reported at 21,444,129.057 EUR th in Nov 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 21,805,176.041 EUR th for Oct 2018. Greece ASE: Market Capitalization: FTSE Athex Market Index data is updated monthly, averaging 24,907,968.653 EUR th from Feb 2008 (Median) to Nov 2018, with 129 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 103,070,633.500 EUR th in Apr 2008 and a record low of 9,628,586.310 EUR th in May 2012. Greece ASE: Market Capitalization: FTSE Athex Market Index data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Athens Stock Exchange. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Greece – Table GR.Z002: Athens Stock Exchange: Market Capitalization.

United Kingdom's main stock market index, the GB100, rose to 8838 points on June 6, 2025, gaining 0.30% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 3.25% and is up 7.19% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from United Kingdom. United Kingdom Stock Market Index (GB100) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on June of 2025.

The FTSE All-Share Index shed around one quarter of its value between December 2019 and March 2020, largely due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but likely also influenced by the uncertainty around Brexit at the time. Since then, it has recovered and reached its peak of over 4,750 points at the end of February 2025.The FTSE All-Share Index is the aggregation of the FTSE 100, FTSE 250 FTSE Small Cap indexes, and represents around 98-99 percent of the total UK market capitalization. Since December 29, 2017 the index has been comprised of the 641 largest U.K. companies by market capitalization on the London Stock Exchange.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the largest stock exchange in the world, with an equity market capitalization of almost 36 trillion U.S. dollars as of June 2025. The following three exchanges were the NASDAQ, PINK Exchange, and the Frankfurt Exchange. What is a stock exchange? A stock exchange is a marketplace where stockbrokers, traders, buyers, and sellers can trade in equities products. The largest exchanges have thousands of listed companies. These companies sell shares of their business, giving the general public the opportunity to invest in them. The oldest stock exchange worldwide is the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, founded in the late sixteenth century. Other functions of a stock exchange Since these are publicly traded companies, every firm listed on a stock exchange has had an initial public offering (IPO). The largest IPOs can raise billions of dollars in equity for the firm involved. Related to stock exchanges are derivatives exchanges, where stock options, futures contracts, and other derivatives can be traded.

As of January 29, 2025, the FTSE index stood at 8,557.81 points - well above its average value of around 7,500 points in the past few years.On the 12th of March 2020, amid the escalating crisis surrounding the coronavirus and fears of a global recession, the FTSE 100 suffered the second largest one day crash in its history and the biggest since the 1987 market crash. On the 23rd of March, the FTSE index saw its lowest value this year to date at 4,993.89 but has since began a tentative recovery. With the continuation of the pandemic, the FTSE 100 index was making a tentative recovery between late March 2020 and early June 2020. Since then the FSTE 100 index had plateaued towards the end of July, before starting a tentative upward trend in November. FTSE 100 The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, otherwise known as the FTSE 100 Index is a share index of the 100 largest companies trading on the London Stock Exchange in terms of market capitalization. At the end of March 2024, the largest company trading on the LSE was Shell. The largest ever initial public offering (IPO) on the LSE was Glencore International plc. European stock exchanges While nearly every country in Europe has a stock exchange, only five are considered major, and have a market capital of over one trillion U.S dollars. European stock exchanges make up two of the top ten major stock markets in the world. Europe’s biggest stock exchange is the Euronext which combines seven markets based in Belgium, France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal.

South Africa Market Cap: FTSE/JSE: SA Listed Property data was reported at 330,793.375 ZAR mn in Jun 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 348,842.204 ZAR mn for May 2018. South Africa Market Cap: FTSE/JSE: SA Listed Property data is updated monthly, averaging 118,926.136 ZAR mn from Jun 2004 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 169 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 440,791.810 ZAR mn in Dec 2017 and a record low of 21,662.261 ZAR mn in Jun 2004. South Africa Market Cap: FTSE/JSE: SA Listed Property data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.Z004: Johannesburg Stock Exchange: Market Capitalization: by Index.

South Africa Market Cap: FTSE/JSE: Africa Real Estate Investment Trusts data was reported at 288,562.382 ZAR mn in Nov 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 306,807.818 ZAR mn for Oct 2018. South Africa Market Cap: FTSE/JSE: Africa Real Estate Investment Trusts data is updated monthly, averaging 240,163.284 ZAR mn from Dec 2009 (Median) to Nov 2018, with 108 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 388,841.888 ZAR mn in Dec 2017 and a record low of 47,546.032 ZAR mn in Jun 2010. South Africa Market Cap: FTSE/JSE: Africa Real Estate Investment Trusts data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.Z004: Johannesburg Stock Exchange: Market Capitalization: by Index.

This analysis presents a rigorous exploration of financial data, incorporating a diverse range of statistical features. By providing a robust foundation, it facilitates advanced research and innovative modeling techniques within the field of finance.

Story of Smith (SFG): FTSE Small Cap

Financial data:

• Historical daily stock prices (open, high, low, close, volume)

• Fundamental data (e.g., market capitalization, price to earnings P/E ratio, dividend yield, earnings per share EPS, price to earnings growth, debt-to-equity ratio, price-to-book ratio, current ratio, free cash flow, projected earnings growth, return on equity, dividend payout ratio, price to sales ratio, credit rating)

• Technical indicators (e.g., moving averages, RSI, MACD, average directional index, aroon oscillator, stochastic oscillator, on-balance volume, accumulation/distribution A/D line, parabolic SAR indicator, bollinger bands indicators, fibonacci, williams percent range, commodity channel index)

Machine learning features:

• Feature engineering based on financial data and technical indicators

• Sentiment analysis data from social media and news articles

• Macroeconomic data (e.g., GDP, unemployment rate, interest rates, consumer spending, building permits, consumer confidence, inflation, producer price index, money supply, home sales, retail sales, bond yields)

Potential Applications:

• Stock price prediction

• Portfolio optimization

• Algorithmic trading

• Market sentiment analysis

• Risk management

Use Cases:

• Researchers investigating the effectiveness of machine learning in stock market prediction

• Analysts developing quantitative trading Buy/Sell strategies

• Individuals interested in building their own stock market prediction models

• Students learning about machine learning and financial applications

Additional Notes:

• The dataset may include different levels of granularity (e.g., daily, hourly)

• Data cleaning and preprocessing are essential before model training

• Regular updates are recommended to maintain the accuracy and relevance of the data

As of February 2025, British holding bank HSBC Holdings Plc was the leading finance company listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) with a total market capitalization of almost 166 billion British pounds. Second in the ranking was Spanish bank Banco Santander S.A., with a market cap of nearly 77.7 billion U.S. dollars.

South Africa Market Cap: FTSE/JSE: All Share data was reported at 6,474,631.881 ZAR mn in Nov 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6,695,071.178 ZAR mn for Oct 2018. South Africa Market Cap: FTSE/JSE: All Share data is updated monthly, averaging 4,217,649.318 ZAR mn from Jan 2002 (Median) to Nov 2018, with 203 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7,641,763.129 ZAR mn in Nov 2017 and a record low of 1,010,890.004 ZAR mn in Apr 2003. South Africa Market Cap: FTSE/JSE: All Share data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.Z004: Johannesburg Stock Exchange: Market Capitalization: by Index.

This analysis presents a rigorous exploration of financial data, incorporating a diverse range of statistical features. By providing a robust foundation, it facilitates advanced research and innovative modeling techniques within the field of finance.

FTSE 100: Bullish Momentum or Bearish Trap?

Financial data:

• Historical daily stock prices (open, high, low, close, volume)

• Fundamental data (e.g., market capitalization, price to earnings P/E ratio, dividend yield, earnings per share EPS, price to earnings growth, debt-to-equity ratio, price-to-book ratio, current ratio, free cash flow, projected earnings growth, return on equity, dividend payout ratio, price to sales ratio, credit rating)

• Technical indicators (e.g., moving averages, RSI, MACD, average directional index, aroon oscillator, stochastic oscillator, on-balance volume, accumulation/distribution A/D line, parabolic SAR indicator, bollinger bands indicators, fibonacci, williams percent range, commodity channel index)

Machine learning features:

• Feature engineering based on financial data and technical indicators

• Sentiment analysis data from social media and news articles

• Macroeconomic data (e.g., GDP, unemployment rate, interest rates, consumer spending, building permits, consumer confidence, inflation, producer price index, money supply, home sales, retail sales, bond yields)

Potential Applications:

• Stock price prediction

• Portfolio optimization

• Algorithmic trading

• Market sentiment analysis

• Risk management

Use Cases:

• Researchers investigating the effectiveness of machine learning in stock market prediction

• Analysts developing quantitative trading Buy/Sell strategies

• Individuals interested in building their own stock market prediction models

• Students learning about machine learning and financial applications

Additional Notes:

• The dataset may include different levels of granularity (e.g., daily, hourly)

• Data cleaning and preprocessing are essential before model training

• Regular updates are recommended to maintain the accuracy and relevance of the data

South Africa Market Cap: FTSE: Shareholder Weighted Top 40 Net Total Return data was reported at 4,547,216.874 ZAR mn in Jun 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4,907,957.698 ZAR mn for May 2022. South Africa Market Cap: FTSE: Shareholder Weighted Top 40 Net Total Return data is updated monthly, averaging 4,907,650.573 ZAR mn from Mar 2021 (Median) to Jun 2022, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,128,553.499 ZAR mn in Feb 2022 and a record low of 4,547,216.874 ZAR mn in Jun 2022. South Africa Market Cap: FTSE: Shareholder Weighted Top 40 Net Total Return data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by FTSE Russell. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.Z003: Financial Times Stock Exchange: Enhanced ICB Framework: Market Capitalization: by Index.

As of June 2024, the German residential real estate company Vonovia SE had the largest net market capitalization in the FTSE EPRA Nareit Developed Europe non-REIT index with almost 18.5 billion euros. In the REIT index, the United Kingdom (UK) industrial real estate company Segro ranked first at almost 14.2 billion euros.Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are companies which are listed on the stock market and facilitate direct real estate investment. REITs usually distribute at least 90 percent of their taxable income to shareholders and in return pay no corporate tax. Not all public real estate investment companies are domiciled in countries with REIT legislation, and not all choose to opt for REIT status. These companies are referred to as non-REITs.

This analysis presents a rigorous exploration of financial data, incorporating a diverse range of statistical features. By providing a robust foundation, it facilitates advanced research and innovative modeling techniques within the field of finance.

Will the FTSE 100 Index Reach New Heights?

Financial data:

• Historical daily stock prices (open, high, low, close, volume)

• Fundamental data (e.g., market capitalization, price to earnings P/E ratio, dividend yield, earnings per share EPS, price to earnings growth, debt-to-equity ratio, price-to-book ratio, current ratio, free cash flow, projected earnings growth, return on equity, dividend payout ratio, price to sales ratio, credit rating)

• Technical indicators (e.g., moving averages, RSI, MACD, average directional index, aroon oscillator, stochastic oscillator, on-balance volume, accumulation/distribution A/D line, parabolic SAR indicator, bollinger bands indicators, fibonacci, williams percent range, commodity channel index)

Machine learning features:

• Feature engineering based on financial data and technical indicators

• Sentiment analysis data from social media and news articles

• Macroeconomic data (e.g., GDP, unemployment rate, interest rates, consumer spending, building permits, consumer confidence, inflation, producer price index, money supply, home sales, retail sales, bond yields)

Potential Applications:

• Stock price prediction

• Portfolio optimization

• Algorithmic trading

• Market sentiment analysis

• Risk management

Use Cases:

• Researchers investigating the effectiveness of machine learning in stock market prediction

• Analysts developing quantitative trading Buy/Sell strategies

• Individuals interested in building their own stock market prediction models

• Students learning about machine learning and financial applications

Additional Notes:

• The dataset may include different levels of granularity (e.g., daily, hourly)

• Data cleaning and preprocessing are essential before model training

• Regular updates are recommended to maintain the accuracy and relevance of the data

2020 saw unprecedented falls in the FTSE 250 due to the economic downturn created by the COVID-19 pandemic, falling to a value of 15,101.1 in March 2020. Since then the index has recovered, reaching 19,884.6 points in April 2025.While the FTSE 100 looks at the market capitalization value of the 100 largest companies trading on the London Stock Exchange, the FTSE 250 index consists of the 101st to 350th largest companies.