What is the FTSE 100? A Simple Explanation for Kids and Beginners

What is the FTSE 100? Stock Market 101: Easy Peasy Finance for Kids and Beginners

Introduction to FTSE 100 for Kids and Teens

This video explains what the FTSE 100 is in a simple, concise way for kids and beginners. It could be used by kids & teens to learn about the stock index, or used as a money & personal finance resource by parents and teachers as part of a Financial Literacy course or K-12 curriculum.

What is the FTSE 100 - A Simple Explanation for Kids and Beginners
  • Save

Suitable for students from grade levels:

  • Kindergarten
  • Elementary School
  • Middle School
  • High School

The topics covered are:


What is the FTSE 100?

FTSE 100 for Kids and Beginners - London Stock Exchange LSE
  • Save

The FTSE 100, pronounced ‘footsie’ 100, is one of the most well-known stock indexes in the world.

It was created in 1992, and is made up of the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.

What are some popular stocks in the FTSE 100?

Some popular companies on the FTSE 100 are HSBC, Tesco, Burberry, and IHG.

As you can see, most of these companies are based in the UK.

[This is an affiliate link: at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click & make a purchase]

Who created the FTSE 100?

FTSE 100 was created by the Financial Times Stock Exchange Group, or ‘FTSE’ for short – which gives the index its name.

Just like S&P, FTSE is a private company that creates stock indexes. It is now owned by the London Stock Exchange Group, which owns many other indexes including the Russell 2000.

You may also like:  What is Fixed Income Investing? A Simple Explanation for Kids, Teens and Beginners

Why is the FTSE 100 important?

The FTSE 100 is heavily weighted in UK companies, and is a very good measure of how well the UK’s economy is doing.

So, if people want to see the strength of the British economy, they can just look at the FTSE 100.

What does the FTSE 100’s value represent? Is it a dollar amount?

No. The FTSE 100’s value is measured in points.

Calculation and Significance of the Value of FTSE 100 - London Stock Exchange LSE
  • Save

When it was created in 1992, it had 1,000 points. As of December 2020, it has grown to over 6,500 points.

The point value of the FTSE 100 is calculated using a market capitalization-weighted formula. This means that each stock’s weight in the index is decided by the market capitalization of the company.

For example, if stock A’s company has a market cap of 10 billion pounds, and stock B’s company has a market cap of 20 billion pounds, then stock B would have double the weight – or power to change the value of the FTSE 100 – as stock A, because it has double the market cap.

If the FTSE 100 goes up or down in value, does it mean all its stocks have gone up or down in price?

No. The change in the FTSE 100’s value is a combined effect of the changes in the market cap of all its stocks.

What are some other popular stock indexes?

Some other popular stock indexes are S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and NASDAQ Composite.


Download Transcript: Ideal for Use by Teachers in their Lesson Plan to Teach Kids & Teens


Podcast: What is the FTSE 100?

What is the FTSE 100
  • Save

Leave a Comment


Copy link