CONVEX
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▍ STATISTICAL PROJECTION · YEAR-END 2026

Based on current macro regime conditions and ftse 100's historical behaviour in similar regimes, the model projects 10,603.58 by 2026-12-31 ( +3.0% from 10,297.52 today). The 68% confidence range is 9,342.02 to 11,865.14; the wider 95% range is 8,130.92 to 13,076.25. Methodology below the headline.

Central Estimate
10,603.58
+3.0% vs current 10,297.52
68% Range (±1σ)
9,342.02 to 11,865.14
95% Range (±1.96σ)
8,130.92 to 13,076.25
Blended from 4 regime anchors· sample-weighted
VIX · Normal (15-25)
+4.7%n=1,184 · w=33%
10Y-2Y Yield Curve · Flat (0-100bps)
+3.4%n=1,304 · w=37%
HY OAS Spread · Tight (<350bps)
+6.3%n=910 · w=26%
Trade-Weighted Dollar · Weak (bottom tercile)
+8.5%n=162 · w=5%
METHOD: CENTRAL = SAMPLE-WEIGHTED MEAN OF PER-ANCHOR CURRENT-REGIME 1Y AVERAGES, SCALED TO 156-DAY HORIZON. BAND = ±σ√T USING 15.6% ANNUALIZED REALIZED VOL.
EXPECTED TO BE 10,603.58 BY 2026-12-31 (HIGHER FROM 10,297.52 ON 2026-05-18). NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE.
▍ MODEL · STATISTICAL FORECAST · 2026

FTSE 100 Forecast 2026

Quantitative analysis from 2,115 observations of FTSE 100 history, joined to four universal macro regime classifications. Numbers are computed, not narrated.

ByConvex Research Desk·Edited byBen Bleier·
FTSE100 · LAST
10,297.52
AS OF 2026-05-18
Percentile · 25Y History
96.7th
▍ HEADLINE SIGNAL · CONTRARIAN BULLISH
Hist. Avg +252d
+6.3%
vs +3.5% unconditional · +2.8%pp above
When HY OAS Spread sits in its Tight (<350bps) regime — as it does today (2.76) — FTSE 100 has historically returned an average of +6.29% over the next 252 trading days, 2.8pp above the all-history average of +3.49%. Sample: 910 observations, 76.4% hit rate.
METHOD: PERCENTILE-RANK MATCHED, LOOK-AHEAD-BIAS-FREE·NOT A FORECAST·HISTORICAL CONDITIONAL AVERAGE

Regime Scan[01/04]

VIX
Normal (15-25)
+4.7%+1Y AVG
Δ +1.2%pp · n=1,184
10Y-2Y Yield Curve
Flat (0-100bps)
+3.4%+1Y AVG
Δ -0.1%pp · n=1,304
HY OAS Spread
Tight (<350bps)
+6.3%+1Y AVG
Δ +2.8%pp · n=910

Δ = divergence from +3.5% unconditional all-history average

Performance by Window[02]

WINDOWNANN RETANN VOLRET/VOLHIT %TOTAL
1Y25417.31%10.67%1.6253.4%17.20%
3Y7609.62%11.32%0.8553.2%31.68%
5Y1,2647.71%12.61%0.6153.9%44.97%
10Y2,1153.49%15.57%0.2253.3%33.31%
All2,1153.49%15.57%0.2253.3%33.31%

Annualized total return = (1 + total)^(1/years) - 1. Ret/Vol is the annualized return divided by annualized volatility (Sharpe-equivalent without risk-free subtraction). Hit % = pct of single periods that were positive.

Where We Are Now[03]

Percentile Rank
96.7th
4993.90median 7473.7010910.60
Current value 10195.3700 on a 2,115-observation history going back to Mar 23, 2020.
Volatility Regime
elevated
14.65%REALIZED 30D ANN
Sits at the 71.5th percentile vs full history. Median 11.57%.

Forward Returns by Macro Regime[04]

How FTSE 100 has performed historically conditional on the prevailing macro regime. The current bucket is highlighted; +1Y averages drive the headline signal above.

VIX
Volatility regime: Low (<15), Normal (15-25), Elevated (25-40), Extreme (>40)
CURRENT: 17.26 Normal (15-25)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Low (<15)536-0.61%-2.52%-1.29%-0.19%49.3%
Normal (15-25)1,1840.61%3.04%4.68%4.27%75.3%
Elevated (25-40)3221.81%3.95%10.87%9.87%94.5%
Extreme (>40)387.59%9.93%23.13%23.52%100.0%
10Y-2Y Yield Curve
Yield curve regime: Inverted (<0bps), Flat (0-100bps), Steep (>100bps)
CURRENT: 0.50 Flat (0-100bps)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Inverted (<0bps)5320.72%2.33%6.18%7.26%86.1%
Flat (0-100bps)1,3040.41%1.30%3.40%3.74%62.3%
Steep (>100bps)2051.45%3.54%4.98%4.65%82.4%
HY OAS Spread
Credit regime: Tight (<350bps), Normal (350-500bps), Stressed (>500bps)
CURRENT: 2.76 Tight (<350bps)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Tight (<350bps)9100.61%2.55%6.29%5.30%76.4%
Normal (350-500bps)9710.06%0.37%0.73%3.33%62.1%
Stressed (>500bps)2212.70%5.39%14.74%15.49%99.5%
Trade-Weighted Dollar
Dollar regime: bottom/middle/top tercile of trailing 5Y rolling distribution
CURRENT: 118.04 Weak (bottom tercile)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Weak (bottom tercile)1620.41%4.00%8.54%8.65%96.6%
Neutral (middle)4671.91%4.99%3.44%2.90%71.0%
Strong (top tercile)1,3970.16%0.62%4.25%5.75%69.5%

Forward returns are forward-looking from each historical observation in the bucket; +252d corresponds to one trading year. Buckets with fewer than 5 forward-return observations are reported as n/a. These are conditional historical averages, not forecasts.

Lead-Lag Relationships[05]

For each universally-recognised leading indicator, the lag at which the daily-return correlation peaks. Positive lag means the anchor leads FTSE 100; negative means it lags.

ANCHORROLEPEAK LAGPEAK CORRZERO-LAGRELATIONSHIP
HY OAS SpreadCredit risk leader0d-0.570-0.570coincident
VIXVolatility leader0d-0.368-0.368coincident
Trade-Weighted DollarFX driver0d-0.348-0.348coincident
CopperGlobal growth proxy0d0.3060.306coincident
10Y Treasury YieldDiscount-rate driver0d0.2870.287coincident
Baa-10Y SpreadCredit risk (slow)0d-0.282-0.282coincident
Initial Jobless ClaimsLabor leader-7d-0.238-0.089lags target by 7d
NFCIFinancial conditions-6d-0.190-0.010lags target by 6d
10Y-2Y Yield SpreadRecession leader-3d-0.0650.006weak
U-Mich Consumer SentimentSurvey leader0d0.0000.000weak

Pearson correlation of daily returns over up to 25 years of overlapping history, searched across a ±60-day lag grid. Indicators classified as “weak” don't have meaningful predictive power at daily resolution; many of these (yield curve, NFCI, sentiment) lead at monthly/quarterly horizons instead.

Historical Analogs[06]

Periods where FTSE 100 sat at a similar percentile rank to today, with what happened over the next 30 / 90 / 252 trading days. Analogs are clustered to avoid double-counting nearby dates.

DATEVALUE+30D+90D+1Y
May 16, 20258684.59960.88%6.20%17.40%
Feb 14, 20258732.5000-0.84%0.04%19.63%
Nov 15, 20248063.60011.36%7.76%20.27%
Aug 16, 20248311.4004-0.90%-2.51%9.96%
May 17, 20248420.2998-3.01%-1.63%3.14%

Worst Historical Drawdown[07]

-36.61%PEAK-TO-TROUGH
Peak May 22, 2018 → trough Mar 23, 2020. Recovered to prior peak on Feb 3, 2023 (1,047 days).
All-time high: 10910.5996 on Feb 27, 2026 · Current DD from ATH: -6.56%

Cross-Asset Correlations · 1Y[08]

S&P 500
0.459
n=246
Nasdaq 100
0.387
n=246
20Y Treasury
0.150
n=246
Gold
0.259
n=247
Bitcoin
0.265
n=252

Largest Single-Period Moves[09]

▲ Up
  • Mar 24, 20209.05%
  • Nov 9, 20204.68%
  • Mar 25, 20204.45%
  • May 18, 20204.29%
  • Feb 25, 20223.92%
▼ Down
  • Mar 12, 2020-10.87%
  • Mar 9, 2020-7.69%
  • Mar 27, 2020-5.25%
  • Apr 4, 2025-4.95%
  • Apr 7, 2025-4.38%

Calendar-Month Seasonality[10]

Average single-period return aggregated by the calendar month in which the period ended.

MONTHAVG RETURNHIT %N
January0.06%54.5%191
February-0.01%49.2%181
March-0.08%55.6%196
April0.14%61.8%173
May0.01%50.8%179
June-0.00%53.0%168
July0.07%55.6%178
August-0.07%52.7%169
September-0.01%50.6%170
October-0.05%51.1%178
November0.11%53.8%171
December0.06%50.6%160

N = 2,115 OBS · GENERATED 2026-05-17 19:00Z

Forecast Approach

regime implied: The current macro regime classification (Goldilocks, Reflation, Stagflation, or Deflation) dictates the expected direction and magnitude of movement, calibrated against historical regime performance.

Key Drivers & Risks

  • Macro regime
  • Monetary policy
  • Risk appetite

Historical Volatility

Moderate

Frequently Asked Questions

What factors could push FTSE 100 higher?

The primary drivers that tend to lift FTSE 100 depend on the current macro regime. European markets carry the sovereign debt overhang of the post-2010 era in their pricing. Bund-BTP spreads remain the cleanest gauge of periphery stress, while HICP drives ECB policy expectations. UK macro diverges post-Brexit, with sterling volatility and Gilt-Bund spreads carrying political risk premia that sometimes detach entirely from U.S. moves. Convex tracks these drivers live across the EU/UK Equity category and flags when multiple forces align in the same direction. See the "Key Drivers & Risks" section on this page for the current list, and check the regime dashboard for how the macro backdrop is currently tilted.

What factors could push FTSE 100 lower?

The same transmission channels that drive FTSE 100 higher operate in reverse when conditions flip. The risk drivers listed above map directly to scenarios that, if triggered, would pull this metric in the opposite direction. Convex aggregates these into a scenario-weighted probability distribution rather than a point forecast, so the magnitude depends on which scenarios activate.

Where does consensus see FTSE 100 heading?

Rather than publish a point target that goes stale the day after release, Convex assembles consensus from the macro regime classification, active scenario probabilities, and historical base rates. Point forecasts from banks and strategists are worth reading for context, but they typically cluster around the consensus and miss the tail events that actually move markets. The scenario-weighted approach here captures that tail risk explicitly.

What is the historical range for FTSE 100?

Historical ranges for FTSE 100 vary dramatically by regime. A level that is extreme in Goldilocks can be routine in Stagflation, and vice versa. The Historical Volatility section on this page describes the typical range and regime-specific behavior. For the full multi-decade history, visit the FTSE 100 chart page, which includes selectable time ranges up to five years and downloadable data.

How often is the FTSE 100 forecast updated?

This forecast page recalculates whenever the underlying data or regime classification changes, typically within hours of new data releases. The scenario probabilities refresh daily as the macro state is regenerated. Specific drivers listed on this page reflect the current state of the Convex regime engine, not static historical assumptions.

Is this forecast actionable for trading?

Convex forecasts are informational and educational. They describe probability distributions and regime-conditional paths rather than specific entry and exit levels. Traders and portfolio managers use them alongside other inputs including position sizing rules, risk management, and their own conviction calibration. They are not investment advice.

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Forecasts are model-based projections derived from current regime classification, scenario probabilities, and historical patterns. They are not investment advice. All investments involve risk.