FinanceFluency
Market Pulse
Live practice

Practise against today's tape

Interview-style questions, filled with today's real numbers. Answer out loud, then check your approach against the rubric.

Q1
easyClick for rubric

The FTSE 100 is at 10,360.30, up +0.27% today. Walk me through what's happening in UK equities right now.

How to approach it

  • Cite the level and direction — briefly, 1 sentence max.
  • Attribute the move: FTSE is ~75% overseas revenue, so this is usually about commodities, financials, or the pound.
  • Name the likely sector driver (energy, miners, banks, pharma).
  • Finish with a forward-looking hook — what's the next catalyst (BoE decision, UK CPI, sector earnings).
Q2
medClick for rubric

The S&P is +0.54% today while the Nasdaq 100 is -0.21%. What does that spread tell you about the market's mood?

How to approach it

  • Frame the ratio: NDX outperforming = tech risk-on; NDX lagging = risk-off or rate-driven fears.
  • Tie the move to rates — the Nasdaq is more duration-sensitive than the S&P.
  • Avoid over-explaining. In an interview, 2–3 sentences land better than a monologue.
  • Mention one current catalyst if you have it (AI earnings, CPI print, megacap news).
Q3
medClick for rubric

US equities (S&P 500: +0.54%) versus UK equities (FTSE 100: +0.27%). Why has the S&P structurally outperformed the FTSE this decade?

How to approach it

  • Sector composition is the whole answer — US is tech-heavy, UK is energy / financials / miners / pharma.
  • Tech has dominated post-2010 returns; the UK index simply doesn't have that exposure.
  • Mention that the FTSE is ~75% overseas revenue, so currency also plays in.
  • One bonus point: the post-Brexit valuation discount on UK large-caps.
Q4
hardClick for rubric

GBP/USD is at 1.3423 and the FTSE 100 is at 10,360.30. Explain the inverse correlation you'd expect to see between these two.

How to approach it

  • ~75% of FTSE revenue is earned overseas, mostly in USD. A stronger pound compresses that reported revenue when translated back to GBP.
  • So when cable rises, FTSE tends to fall — and vice versa.
  • The correlation breaks down when there's a UK-specific catalyst (e.g. Brexit 2016 — both fell) or global risk-off (both fall).
  • Use-case: you'd mention this if an interviewer asks about how UK equity performance depends on the currency.
Q5
hardClick for rubric

The DAX is at 24,916.19 and EUR/USD is at 1.1612. How would you read this combination as a signal on European exporters?

How to approach it

  • DAX is ~60% exporter names (autos, chemicals, industrials). A weaker euro makes their products cheaper abroad — usually boosts the DAX.
  • So a falling EUR/USD + rising DAX is the classic exporter-benefit story.
  • Rising EUR/USD + rising DAX suggests the move is about broader European growth optimism (not just FX).
  • Connect to the ECB — a dovish ECB weakens EUR which supports DAX, creating a feedback loop.
Q6
easyClick for rubric

If I told you the S&P 500 fell 2% today, what are the three most likely reasons without looking at the news?

How to approach it

  • Hot inflation print — rate expectations shift up, discount rate hits growth stocks hardest.
  • Weak economic data — growth scare, recession fears.
  • Geopolitical or sector-specific event — Fed hawkishness, earnings miss from a mega-cap, tariff announcement.
  • Sequence matters: lead with rates / inflation, then growth, then geopolitics. It's the banker's mental model.

Numbers refresh every 4 hours. The questions stay the same — the answers you give should shift with the tape.