CONGRATULATIONS, you have reached a new all-time high.

I am also basking in the success of this daily achievement, a level of 33 years and 12 days making up more than 12,000 days of consecutive gains.

My mother has been at her all-time high of 49-years-old for longer than I am allowed to say.

We are seeing a number of consecutive gains and highs in stock markets at the moment.

In the UK, the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 indices are both historically high, with the mid cap index recently closing higher for seven consecutive days. In the US, all four major indices; the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Nasdaq Composite and the Russell 2000 also set record highs for four consecutive days recently.

Globally, the FTSE All World Index reached a new all-time high for the first time since 2015.

Some investors can get jittery when we reach such levels, imaging some kind of pinball effect whenever new ground is made.

The majority do not get carried away.

These examples of days of consecutive gains are very much a case of well-considered continued momentum.

Discipline and patience in the face of potential risk remain key attributes.

Consider that scene in Braveheart, where the cavalry is charging at Mel Gibson’s army, the speed and noise of the horses escalating as the gap between them continues to shrink.

Gibson cries “HOLD” four times, every shout longer and louder to stop his men flinching as the danger gets closer before a cry of “NOW!” signals the forward thrust a line of spears, impaling the over-confident charging masses.

I suspect it was more likely artistic licence than actual event, but a discussion about fake news is for another day.

Prevailing current affairs and economic data continue to influence markets, and a greater measure of how jittery we should be is to look closer at the issues that are pushing the markets up and down.

Simply hitting a historic level should not be enough to cause action.

However, instigating a review is fair.

Let’s look at the UK.

The EU referendum result has had a big impact on the FTSE 250 Index of late.

Made up of the UK’s biggest listed companies outside the top 100, it is the index that is perceived as a greater reflection of UK plc than the FTSE 100, with 50 per cent of its revenue domestically sourced compared to 20 per cent for the blue chip index.

Investment portfolios across the land were hindered by the resulting summer sell off in small and mid-caps with the FTSE 250 losing seven per cent in the immediate aftermath, the result of being seen as ‘riskier’ UK equities than large caps.

Uncertainty is not the friend of stock markets and the outlook for Britain outside the EU certainly ticked that box at the time.

Now, we have a greater clarity. Article 50 will be triggered by the end of March.

Fears over a weaker pound hurting consumer confidence have subsided. Economic growth has not fallen off any cliffs and the UK is not far off full employment (a level of unemployment that is expected to lead to wage growth).

The weaker pound also helps some listed companies, either in terms of making them more competitive internationally or cheaper exchange rates when bringing revenue back from overseas.

Alongside a recovery for housebuilders, who saw some of the sharpest falls last summer, and a series of solid corporate earnings reports across the index, it all points to a confident outlook from investors for UK plc.

There will come a time when it changes.

Nonetheless, ‘older’ apparently means ‘wiser’ and stock markets are not happy without something to complain about for too long.

There is no fool like an old fool.

Jeffrey Ball is assistant director at wealth management firm Brewin Dolphin, based in Newcastle.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily the views held throughout Brewin Dolphin. No director, representative or employee of Brewin Dolphin accepts liability for any direct or consequential loss arising from the use of this document or its contents. Any tax allowances or thresholds mentioned are based on personal circumstances and current legislation which is subject to change.