The FTSE 100 Strikes a New 12-Year High

LONDON -- The FTSE 100 has finally beaten its pre-crisis 2007 high, closing today at 6,804 points to record its highest level since September 2000.

Just like 2007, the stock market has been buoyant and optimistic in 2013, having rallied by more than 20% since November alone. The financial crisis suddenly seems like a distant memory, while phrases such as "fiscal cliff" and "eurozone debt crisis" have been cast aside. The market seems to make new highs every day, but should investors heed the advice of legendary investor Warren Buffett and "be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful"?

Savers with new money to invest may be wondering whether it's sensible to buy shares now that the FTSE is back at its 2007 heights. Existing shareholders, meanwhile, might be wondering whether the latest FTSE high could be a signal to sell.

Here at The Motley Fool, we try to avoid predicting what the stock market is going to do next. We prefer to focus on the underlying businesses of the companies we invest in. We view the price and value of each business individually, and we tend to invest without worrying about short-term price movements or wider market sentiment.

With that in mind, I think there could still be some highly attractive opportunities for the selective investor in 2013. While stocks as a whole aren't so cheap as they were during the depths of the financial crisis, there are still some superb individual businesses available at reasonable prices for long-term investment today.

In fact, in this exclusive wealth report, I've helped pinpoint five particularly attractive opportunities for investment in 2013. Indeed, all five companies offer a mix of robust prospects, illustrious histories and dependable dividends, and have just been declared by the Fool as "5 Shares You Can Retire On." I'd urge you to click here to download these large-cap ideas before the market marches even higher!

The article The FTSE 100 Strikes a New 12-Year High originally appeared on Fool.com.

Mark Rogers has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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