Interactive Investor

The ETFs Show: a history of the FTSE from start-up to index giant

Mark Makepeace, founding chief executive of FTSE International, on his new book: FTSE: The Inside Story.

21st December 2020 17:07

Tom Bailey from interactive investor

Mark Makepeace was the founding chief executive of FTSE International and for decades oversaw the creation of the FTSE brand and indices. He talks to ETFs editor Tom Bailey about his new book, FTSE: The Inside Story, and major changes that have taken place in the UK stock market.

Time-stamped highlights

00:36 What was used as a performance indicator for UK stocks before the creation of the FTSE 100 in 1984?

02:39 An uneasy relationship with the FT

05:20 Enter the FTSE 250 index

11:47 The FTSE vs the S&P 500

17:41“You can argue that less than 25% of the FTSE 100 is actually exposed to the UK economy.”

19:41 “I do think we’re heading for a world where the combination of the US and China will dominate global portfolios.”

21:04 Why does the FTSE 100 lack tech companies?

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