Guides

Guides

Plain-English explainers on the FTSE 100, its companies and sectors, and how to read market news.

• FTSE 250 dividend yields: what the index yield means and how to read a company's yield
  A dividend yield is a year's dividends per share divided by the share price, shown as a percentage. The FTSE 250 also has one index-level yield, which FTSE Russell publishes on its factsheet as a snapshot. Any single figure you find will soon be out of date.
• What is a stock market index? A plain-English explanation with UK examples
  A stock market index is a published number that tracks a defined group of shares. An index provider builds it using fixed rules for which companies are included and how much each one counts. It is a measuring tool, so you cannot buy the number itself, and it says nothing about where prices go next.
• What is a dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP)? How it works and how it is taxed in the UK
  A dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP) uses your cash dividend to buy more shares in the same company, so the cash is not paid out to you. In the UK a reinvested dividend is still dividend income for tax, unless the shares are held in an ISA.
• Lloyds Banking Group dividends: when they are paid, what the dates mean and where to check
  Lloyds Banking Group pays two dividends a year: a final dividend in May and an interim dividend in September. Each has its own ex-dividend, record and payment dates, and Lloyds' own financial calendar is the place to check them.
• Marks and Spencer ex-dividend date: how the dividend timetable works and where to check it
  The ex-dividend date is the first day M&S shares trade without the right to the next dividend. M&S announces it with each dividend in its results, and the dividends page on its corporate website is the place to check the current timetable.
• Sainsbury's ex-dividend date: how the dividend timetable works and where to check it
  J Sainsbury plc publishes its dividend amounts, record dates and payment dates on its investor relations dividends page and in its results announcements. Its financial calendar shows ex-dividend dates. On the London Stock Exchange the ex-dividend date is normally one business day before the record date, and you need to own the shares before the ex-dividend date to receive that dividend.
• BAE Systems ex-dividend date: how the dividend timetable works and where to check it
  BAE Systems' next ex-dividend date is 22 October 2026, for an interim dividend of 15.0p per share paid on 2 December 2026. The company pays twice a year, and its own results announcements and dividend timetable set every date.
• How to invest in the FTSE 100 index: the routes explained and what to check
  You cannot buy the FTSE 100 index itself, because it is a calculated number. People get exposure by buying shares in the companies it measures or a fund or ETF that aims to follow it. This guide explains how each route works and what to read first. It is general information, not advice.
• B&M profit warnings: what the company said about UK sales and how to read the announcements
  A profit warning is a company telling the market, through a regulatory announcement, that profit is likely to be lower than it said before. B&M's own announcements from October 2025 to June 2026 show how to read the guidance range, the UK like-for-like sales figure and the stated causes.
• Ex-dividend date: what it means and how it works for UK shares
  The ex-dividend date (or ex-date) is the first day a share trades without the right to the next dividend. To be paid you need to buy before that day, so a purchase on the ex-date or later does not qualify for that payment.
• FTSE 100 index history: how to read a long-term chart
  The FTSE 100 was launched on 3 January 1984 with a starting value of 1,000 points, and a long-term chart plots the index level from there, not what an investor earned. To read one well, check whether dividends are included, remember the companies change, and look at the scale of the axis.
• FTSE 250 list of companies: where the official list lives and how to read it
  FTSE Russell, part of LSEG, owns the FTSE 250, and the London Stock Exchange shows its constituents in a live table. The list is reviewed every quarter, so any copy saved before the latest review may be out of date.
• Dividends on stocks: what they are, how they work and the key terms
  A dividend is a payment a company may make to its shareholders from profits it has already earned. The board decides it, it is never guaranteed, and a handful of dates and terms tell you who gets paid and when.
• Stocks with the highest dividends: what a high yield tells you and what it hides
  A high dividend yield means a company's yearly dividend is large compared with its current share price, and that can come from a generous payout or from a share price that has fallen. The yield on its own does not tell you whether the dividend is secure.
• What is the FTSE 250? The index of mid-sized UK companies explained
  The FTSE 250 is a FTSE Russell index of mid-sized UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange's Main Market. It holds the next 250 UK companies by market capitalisation after the FTSE 100, and its membership is reviewed every quarter.
• Aviva shareholder dividends: how they work and when they are paid
  Aviva pays ordinary shareholders two dividends a year: an interim dividend in the autumn and a final dividend in the spring. Each has its own ex-dividend, record and payment dates, and Aviva's investor relations site is where to confirm the current amounts.
• Stocks and shares ISA in the UK: what it is and how it relates to the stock market
  A stocks and shares ISA is a tax-free account for holding investments such as company shares and funds. You pay no UK tax on income or gains inside it, and in the 2026 to 2027 tax year you can pay in up to £20,000 across all your ISAs, though the investments can still fall in value.
• What is the FTSE 100 stock index and how does it work?
  The FTSE 100 is a stock market index run by FTSE Russell. It tracks the 100 largest eligible companies on the London Stock Exchange's Main Market, weighted by the value of their freely tradable shares, and FTSE Russell reviews the membership every quarter.