Shares of Smiths Group plc (LON:SMIN) last traded at 1544.5, representing a move of 0.52%, or 8 per share, on volume of 502,669 shares. After opening the trading day at 1537.5, shares of Smiths Group plc traded in a close range. Smiths Group plc currently has a total float of 3.96 million shares and on average sees 883,470 shares exchange hands each day. The stock now has a 52-week low of 1257 and high of 1810.

LSE: Europe’s Biggest Stock Exchange

Europe is undeniably a successful region, especially when it comes to economic prowess and influence. The UK economy has constantly been a major player in this success.

Not only does the UK boast with a compelling education system, a competent political structure, and a healthy tourism industry’ it also takes pride in excellent corporate governance that continues to shape its economy. Because of this, the country has one of the most competitive equity markets globally’ transforming not just Europe but the trade and commerce around the world.

In the UK, the main stock exchange is the London Stock Exchange (LSE) while the benchmark index is the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 100 Index.

LSE

The LSE is Europe’s biggest stock exchange and the world’s third biggest stock exchange. It boasts with roughly 2,290 companies listed on it and an overall market capitalization of ‘6.06 trillion.

Having been formed in 1801, the LSE is also one of the world’s oldest stock exchanges. The LSE is currently operated by the LSE Group (LSEG), which was formed in October 2007 after the LSE and the Borsa Italiana had merged.

The regular trading on the LSE begins at 8:00 a.m. and concludes at 4:00 p.m.

FTSE 100

The FTSE 100 had been formed on January 3, 1984 with 1,000 points serving as a base value. It monitors the 100 biggest companies listed on the LSE based on market capitalization and with respect to free-float shares. Smiths Group plc is a stock traded on the U.K’s stock exchange.

The FTSE 100 is currently operated by a subsidiary of the LSEG, the FTSE Group. As of September, it has an overall market capitalization of about $1.70 trillion. The FTSE 100 represents about 80% of the overall market capitalization on the LSE. Smiths Group plc has relatively good liquidity.

While the FTSE 100 is a good indicator of the LSE, it is not a good indicator of the UK economy since it is mostly composed of international companies. On the other hand, the FTSE 250 is the best indicator of the UK economy’ thanks to its extensive nature and components that are mostly UK-based companies.

The components of the FTSE 100 are reviewed quarterly’ particularly on the first Wednesday following the first Friday of the months of March, June, September, and December. Components are regularly dropped and added in accordance to a certain set of criteria for inclusion.

The FTSE 100 had recorded an all-time low of 427.50 points in February 1978. Eventually, the FTSE had recorded an all-time high of 7,103.98 points in April 2015. Meanwhile, it has recorded its best intraday high of 7,129 points in October.

The LSE has been forged to become more powerful through all those 200 years of existence. It is definitely a pride of the European economy and the reasons behind the successful efforts of the UK to realize long-term growth prospects.

Investing on LSE stocks is an ideal move for investors nowadays. It is one of the best, and most rewarding ways to take advantage of the constant growth of the UK economy, as well as that of Europe. Professional analysts might be interested how this will affect Smiths Group plc.

Smiths Group plc designs, manufactures, and sells various services and products for the threat and contraband detection, medical devices, energy, communications, and engineered components markets worldwide. The company has market cap of 6.12 billion GBP. It operates through John Crane, Smiths Medical, Smiths Detection, Smiths Interconnect, and Flex-Tek divisions. It has a 21.13 P/E ratio. The John Crane division offers engineered services and products comprising mechanical seals, seal support systems, engineered bearings, power transmission couplings, and specialist filtration systems.