IBKR does not make available real-time index levels for indices published by the FTSE Group. This is due to the disproportionately high licensing fees FTSE would require of IBKR.

Affected indices are the FTSE 100 and the FTSE MIB 40.

You may instead refer to the “Last” prices for IBKR CFDs IBGB100 and IBIT40 respectively, which are the mid-points of the CFD quotes, and an accurate real-time reflection of traded prices for the futures contracts related to these indices.

Specifically, the Index CFD quotes are based on synthetic indices calculated by back-adjusting the price of the related near-month future for fair value.

In the futures market, fair value is the equilibrium price for a futures contract. It is the price at which an investor effectively pays the appropriate rate of interest, and is compensated for the dividends he forgoes by holding the future rather than the underlying shares. To create the synthetic indices, the fair value adjustment is reversed.

The result is not necessarily exactly the same value as the cash index, in particular because the future may trade above or below its fair value. But as noted above, it is an accurate real-time reflection of the markets related to the index.

While you cannot compare e.g. the IBGB100 directly to the FTSE 100 in TWS (since we do not display the latter), you can observe the relationship between other Index CFDs and cash indices by comparing, for example, the IBUS500 to the S&P 500 index.