Five factors to explain FTSE 100’s record high despite recession

Shell Plc, a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, reported record net profits of nearly $42.3bn last year, the highest in its 115-year history. Photograph: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

London’s blue-chip share index, the FTSE 100, hit a new all-time high at over 8,000 points on Thursday.

But why is the FTSE 100 so strong, when the UK economy is expected to fall into recession this year and so many businesses and households are struggling? Five factors have helped the share index outperform other global markets since the start of last year.