What is the 'S&P 500'?

The S&P 500 Index or the Standard & Poor's 500 Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index of the 500 largest U.S. publicly traded companies. The index is widely regarded as the best gauge of large-cap U.S. equities. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Term of the Day | Words to Know S&P 500 Index – Standard & Poor's 500 Index The S&P 500 or Standard & Poor's 500 Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index of the 500 largest U.S. publicly traded companies. The index is widely regarded as the best gauge of large-cap U.S. equities. Other common U.S. stock market benchmarks include the Dow Jones Industrial Average or Dow 30 and the Russell 2000 Index, which represents the small-cap index. Read More » Related to "S&P 500 Index" An Introduction to U.S. Stock Market Indexes Learn about the leading U.S. stock market indexes and get an introduction to how they are utilized in the market. Read More » What Does the S&P 500 Index Measure and How Is It Calculated? Learn exactly what the S&P 500 measures and why it's used by market participants as a tool to understand the broader stock market. Read More » What is the average annual return for the S&P 500? See the historical performance of the S&P 500 Index and SPDR® S&P 500® ETF, and examine a number of factors that affect actual return on investment. Read More » SPONSORED BY FIDELITY INVESTMENTS Investing in Women in More Ways Than One Hiring and retaining women is essential to making financial expertise broadly accessible. Here's why Fidelity is prioritizing women's career growth and potential. Learn More » Related Definitions Market Index A market index is a hypothetical portfolio of investment holdings which represents a segment of the financial market. Read More » Market Capitalization Market Capitalization is the total dollar market value of all of a company's outstanding shares. Read More » Equal Weight Equal weight is a classification providing the same weight, or importance, to each stock in a portfolio or index fund, regardless of a company's size. Read More » Constituent A constituent is a single stock or company that is part of a larger index such as the S&P 500 or Dow Jones Industrial Average. Read More » CONNECT WITH INVESTOPEDIA Email sent to: mondemand.forex@blogger.com To update your newsletter preferences or unsubscribe, click here. 114 West 41st St, floor 8 New York NY 10036 © 2020, Investopedia, LLC, All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy