FTSE for Friday: cautious optimism for blue-chip index
Independent analyst Alistair Strang explains his position on the premier index.
17th July 2026 09:04
by Alistair Strang from Trends and Targets
On Thursday, the FTSE 100 ended the session in a position which suggests optimism. Although events in the Middle East could impact our near-term outlook.
From the point at which the market closed, movement above 10,573 has the potential to trigger gains to an initial 10,992 points with our secondary, if exceeded, calculating at 10,640 points.
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While these ambitions for gains are relatively modest, above 10,640 is liable to prove instructive, potentially moving the index into a cycle where a long-term 11,134 becomes viable.
Our alternative scenario, on the basis that the FTSE decides on self-immolation, suggests weakness below 10,447 points risks triggering reversal to an initial 10,336 points with our secondary, if broken, at 10,203 points.
Below such a level will require a good shake of the tea leaves as the FTSE 100, despite the immediate pressures heading upward, is starting to develop reversal potentials.
Source: Trends and Targets. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.
Alistair Strang has led high-profile and "top secret" software projects since the late 1970s and won the original John Logie Baird Award for inventors and innovators. After the financial crash, he wanted to know "how it worked" with a view to mimicking existing trading formulas and predicting what was coming next. His results speak for themselves as he continually refines the methodology.
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