This is the world’s most active international equity market with companies from all areas of the business world, including retailing, technology, finance and manufacturing. More than 2,000 companies, including more than 500 overseas companies, are quoted on this market. Professional and private investors alike track the performance of securities admitted to trading on the Main Market using a variety of indices.
Probably the most well known indices are run by FTSE®, a company jointly owned by The Financial Times and the London Stock Exchange. The index that covers all shares listed on the Main Market is the FTSE All Share but there are other indices covering various sectors. The FTSE 100 tracks the performance of the biggest 100 companies listed on the market. These firms, often known as blue chips, are often household names, including Marks & Spencer, HSBC, BP and Glaxo SmithKline.
A two-stage admission process applies to companies who want to have their securities admitted to the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market. The securities need to be admitted to the Official List by the UK Listing Authority (UKLA), a division of the Financial Services Authority, and also admitted to trading by the London Stock Exchange.