The FTSE 100 has gained 3.8% over 2023, as the UK’s top share index crept higher despite Britain’s stagnating economy and interest rates pushed to the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis.
Nevertheless the index lagged behind international peers which enjoyed significant rallies over the year.
The FTSE 100 gained 281.5 points, or 3.78%, from the last trading day of 2022 to December 29 2023.
In comparison, the US’s top share index, the S&P 500, soared by 25% over the year.
Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets for Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “The FTSE 100 has stumbled over the line, eking out a modest gain for the year but failing to shoot the lights out.
“Compared to its international peers, 3.7% is a paltry rise since the last trading day in 2022, especially…
