Britain’s blue-chip stocks rose in 2024 for a fourth year in a row — their best run since the 2000s, though their gains paled in comparison with those enjoyed on Wall Street.
The FTSE 100 index of the UK’s leading companies rose 52.01 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 8,173.02 on a shortened day of trading on Tuesday, extending its gains for 2024 as a whole to 5.8 per cent, the most since 2021’s post-lockdown rally.
The index has now risen in each of the past four years; the last strong run was between 2003 and 2007 in the lead-up to the global financial crash.
The FTSE 250, London’s second tier of more domestically focused firms, also ended 2024 strongly, putting on 218.06 points, or