FTSE 100 hits 1-year high as 8,000 points is in sight

Another exciting period for the FTSE 100 index is in full swing.

The basket of stocks, which consists of the 100 most prestigious and well capitalized publicly listed companies on London Stock Exchange, is once again heading for the stratosphere.

This morning, the FTSE 100 index is trading at 7,982.99, which represents its highest point in over one year, following a gradual climb which began some four months ago, with only a minor slowing in mid-December which soon gave way to the consistent climb gaining momentum once again.

Over the course of 12 months, the FTSE 100 has increased in value by an 499 points, which is a steady 5.9%, proving that whilst across the Atlantic in New York, the tech stocks listed on NASDAQ are less steady or reliable than the old-school array of mining, pharmaceutical, transport and retail stocks listed on London's FTSE 100.

Old tech appears to be performing better than new tech, if these recent months are anything to gauge it by.

On London's stock exchange, perhaps one of the most ubiquitous sectors is the telecommunications industry, which is well represented within the FTSE 100 index given that Britain is home to some long standing corporate giants, once again alluding to the 'old tech' nature of this particular index. In that regard, Vodafone's stock has risen after Liberty Global has acquired a 4.9% stake, giving a substantial lift to the index.

As the opening bell rang in London, things were on the up and by 9.00am the blue-chip index was at 7,993.23, up 45.63 points (0.57%) putting it within touching distance of the 8,000 mark.

Despite clear signals from economists that inflation is not showing any signs of slowing, and with Britain dealing with a real inflation figure of around 10.5%, the economy is growing and wage inflation appears to be in line with price inflation.

Yes, there are high interest rates, and the economic issues concerned around that would potentially be a weakening of access to private home ownership, therefore denting the overall prosperity of the nation, but London's stock exchange is made up of firms that do not become affected by such overall circumstances.

For example, Coca-Cola HBC (the UK-based bottling firm which packages soft drinks) was in demand, having reported a strong year of organic growth. Retail products and foodstuffs will always be in demand regardless of overall economic circumstances such as high inflation or interest rates, whereas expensive electric trucks manufactured by companies with no provenance and listings on NASDAQ via the SPAC method of bypassing due diligence are not essential items with sales affected if the economic woes are too high.

Hence, NASDAQ has been suffering, especially in the electric vehicle stock and internet stock department, whereas the trad stocks of London are prosperous.

Should the 8,000 point barrier be crossed, this will mark a milestone for the London Stock Exchange's FTSE 100 index, similar to the euphoria surrounding its break through the 7,000 barrier in 2021 during the period of recessions, supply chain woes and ongoing draconian lockdowns hampering the economic situation, with the FTSE 100 being the beacon of light in a very dark tunnel.

Interesting times indeed.