Chillingworth: FTSE 100 will break the 6,100 barrier this year

The FTSE 100 will break the 6,100 barrier in the coming months as momentum in equity markets picks up, said Julian Chillingworth, manager of the £60m Rathbone Blue Chip Income & Growth fund.

The firm's CIO said markets are set to experience 2011 levels of volatility this year, but he expects the FTSE will ultimately end the year only fractionally higher than its 2012 starting level, at 5,600. "At the moment there are a lot of optimistic investors and the momentum will prompt the FTSE to break the 6,100 barrier. After which, it will pause for breath before ending the year only fractionally higher than it started," said Chillingworth. The FTSE 100 dipped to below 5,200 in late November last year, but has since steadily risen to around the 5,800 mark. Chillingworth normal...