FTSE 100

AstraZeneca is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, UK, focused on oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular and respiratory medicines. Founded in 1999 from the merger of Astra AB and Zeneca, it gained worldwide recognition through its COVID-19 vaccine developed with the University of Oxford. Its cancer drugs — including Tagrisso, Imfinzi and Calquence — have driven strong revenue growth.

BAE Systems is Britain's largest defence contractor and one of the world's leading aerospace and security companies. Headquartered in Farnborough, it supplies military aircraft (Typhoon, F-35 components), warships, submarines, combat vehicles and electronic warfare systems to governments and armed forces globally. Rising defence budgets following Russia's invasion of Ukraine have significantly boosted its order book.

BP plc is one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, with major operations in exploration, production, refining and marketing. Founded in 1909 as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, it is headquartered in London and has significant operations in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Middle East. Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, it has been restructuring and expanding into renewable energy.

BT Group is the UK's largest telecommunications company, providing broadband, mobile (via EE), TV and phone services to consumers and enterprise and public sector clients through its Openreach and business units. Founded in 1846 as the Electric Telegraph Company and privatised in 1984, it operates the Openreach network, which provides broadband infrastructure to millions of UK homes and businesses, often wholesale to competitors.

The FTSE 100 is the United Kingdom's primary stock market index, tracking the 100 largest companies by market capitalisation listed on the London Stock Exchange. Created in 1984, it includes global companies such as Shell, HSBC, AstraZeneca, Unilever and BP. It is maintained by FTSE Russell and serves as the main benchmark for UK equity investors.

GSK plc (formerly GlaxoSmithKline) is a global pharmaceutical and vaccines company headquartered in London. Following the 2022 demerger of its consumer healthcare division into Haleon, GSK now focuses exclusively on prescription medicines and vaccines, with strengths in HIV (through ViiV Healthcare), oncology, infectious diseases and respiratory. Its Shingrix shingles vaccine is one of its biggest commercial successes.

HSBC Holdings is one of the world's largest banking and financial services groups, headquartered in London but with roots in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Founded in 1865 to finance trade between Europe and Asia, it operates in 62 countries. Asia — particularly Hong Kong and mainland China — accounts for the majority of its profits. HSBC provides retail, commercial and investment banking, wealth management and insurance.

Lloyds Banking Group is the UK's largest retail bank, serving around 26 million customers. Formed in 2009 from the government-orchestrated merger of Lloyds TSB and HBOS during the financial crisis, it operates through the Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Scottish Widows and Lloyds Bank brands. Focused almost exclusively on the UK, it is particularly sensitive to domestic economic conditions, mortgage market trends and base rate movements.

Rio Tinto is one of the world's largest mining groups, with operations in iron ore, copper, aluminium, lithium, titanium dioxide and industrial minerals. Founded in 1873 to mine copper in the Río Tinto region of Spain, it is now listed in London and Sydney. Its Pilbara iron ore operations in Western Australia supply the majority of China's raw iron ore needs. Copper and lithium are growing strategic priorities.

Rolls-Royce Holdings is a British aerospace and defence company best known for its jet engines, which power widebody aircraft for airlines and military forces. Founded in 1906 by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, the car brand was sold to BMW in 1998 and the company now focuses on power systems for aviation, defence and energy. Under CEO Tufan Erginbilgic since 2023, it is undergoing a major transformation to improve profitability.

Shell plc is one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, headquartered in London. Formed from the 1907 merger of Royal Dutch Petroleum and the Shell Transport and Trading Company, it operates across exploration, production, refining, chemicals and retail fuel stations. Shell is investing in liquefied natural gas, renewables and low-carbon technologies as part of its net-zero-by-2050 strategy.

Unilever is one of the world's largest consumer goods companies, with a portfolio of over 400 brands including Dove, Knorr, Hellmann's, Lipton, Magnum, Ben & Jerry's and Domestos. Founded in 1929 from the merger of British soap maker Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie, it sells products in 190 countries and earns over half its revenue from emerging markets.

Vodafone Group is one of the world's largest telecommunications companies, with mobile and fixed networks in over 20 countries. Headquartered in London, it serves around 300 million mobile customers. Vodafone has been restructuring through asset sales and mergers, including the disposal of its Spanish and Italian operations, to focus on Germany, the UK and Africa, where its M-Pesa mobile money platform is a market leader.