Below you'll find data, news, component listings and other information on some of the most important U.S. and international market indices. Given how frequently they are cited in the financial press, as well as how many trillions of dollars are tied to these major indices, it's important to understand each index and its component securities...

U.S. Market Indices -- Sector Indices -- International Indices

Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is probably the best-known and most widely followed index in the world.  The index consists of 30 of the largest publicly traded firms in the United States.

S&P 500
The S&P 500 index is probably the most commonly referenced U.S. equity benchmark. This diverse index comprises over 70% of the total market cap of all stocks traded in the U.S.

Nasdaq Composite
The Nasdaq Composite is a broad market index that encompasses about 4,000 issues traded on the Nasdaq National Market--virtually every firm that trades on the exchange

Nasdaq 100
The Nasdaq 100 Index is comprised of the 100 largest stocks (based on market capitalization) traded on the Nasdaq National Market. Because it tracks stocks traded on the Nasdaq exchange, it is often considered a technology barometer despite the fact that many healthcare, biotech, and service issues trade there as well.

Wilshire 5000
The Wilshire 5000 is considered the "total market index." Designed to track the value of the entire stock market, the index actually contains around 6,700 stocks today.

S&P MidCap 400
The S&P MidCap 400 Index tracks a diverse basket of medium-sized U.S. firms. A mid-cap stock is broadly defined as a company with a market capitalization ranging from about $2 billion to $10 billion.

S&P SmallCap 600
The S&P SmallCap 600 Index invests in a basket of small-cap equities. A small-cap company is generally defined as a stock with a market capitalization between $300 million and $2 billion.

Russell 3000
The Russell 3000 Index attempts to capture the return of the overall market, and is comprised of the 3000 largest and most liquid stocks based and traded in the U.S.

Russell 2000
The Russell 2000 Index is a subset of the larger Russell 3000. It is one of the most widely used indexes by investors and is generally accepted as the benchmark for small-cap firms.

Russell 1000
The Russell 1000 is designed to track the performance of most major large-cap companies. The index is a subset of the much larger Russell 3000 Index--it simply contains the 1000 largest stocks within that index. The components of the Russell 1000 Index account for about 90% of the equity traded on the U.S. exchanges.

Semiconductor Index (SOX)
The Semiconductor Index is comprised of 18 stocks that almost fully represent the semiconductor sector. The index includes 14 firms that manufacture semiconductors and four that produce semiconductor equipment. When investors want information specific to semiconductors, this is where they look.

Biotech Index (BTK)
The American Stock Exchange Biotech Index (BTK) is the benchmark index for the Biotechnology sector. The BTK is comprised of 17 firms that are chosen to represent the Biotech sector.  It is an excellent choice for investors who wish to track the performance of the Biotech sector apart from the broad market.

Broker/Dealer Index (XBD)
Comprised of 12 of the most widely known firms in the brokerage sector, the AMEX Securities Broker/Dealer Index (XBD) is the most widely recognized indicator for the brokerage sector. Because the index contains virtually all of the well-known names in the sector, it gives a relatively fair representation of the group.

Dow Jones Transportation Average (DJTA)
The Dow Jones Transportation Average is the most widely recognized gauge of the transportation sector. Started in 1884, the DJTA has the longest track record of any index and is a good proxy for tracking the general performance of U.S. transportation stocks.

Dow Jones Utilities Average (DJUA)
Comprised of fifteen of the largest utilities companies in the United States, the Dow Jones Utilities Average is the most widely cited utilities index in the U.S. The index includes virtually all of the nation's leading utility firms.

Gold BUGS Index (HUI)
An acronym for Basket of Unhedged Gold Stocks, the BUGS index is made up exclusively of mining stocks that do not hedge their gold positions more than a year-and-a-half into the future. When gold prices are on the rise, the Gold BUGS Index provides an excellent way for investors to capitalize on that increase. The index has a high correlation to the spot price (current price) of gold.

London -- FTSE Index
The Financial Times 100 Index, or FTSE, is the most widely used benchmark for the performance of equities traded on the London Stock Exchange.

Brazil -- Bovespa Index
The Bovespa Index tracks the performance of a basket of stocks that trade on the Sao Paulo Exchange.

Germany -- DAX Index
The DAX Index is the most commonly cited benchmark for measuring the returns posted by stocks on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

France -- CAC-40 Index
The CAC-40 Index is the benchmark tracking index for the Paris Bourse.

Hong Kong -- Hang Seng Index
The Hang Seng is the leading index for shares traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Singapore -- Straits Times Index
The Straits Times Index, which is compiled by the newspaper of the same name, is Singapore’s premier equity index.

South Korea -- KOSPI Index
In South Korea, the main tracking index is the Korean Composite Stock Price Index, or KOSPI for short.

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