Key Market Indices
U.S. Stock Market Indices
S&P 500: A stock market index tracking the performance of 500 large companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States. It is widely regarded as the best single gauge of large-cap U.S. equities.
NASDAQ Composite: An index of more than 2,500 stocks of companies that trade on the NASDAQ stock exchange. It includes companies from various industries, but it's heavily weighted towards technology stocks.
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA): Also known simply as "the Dow," this index is one of the oldest and most well-known stock market indices in the world. It tracks 30 large, publicly-owned companies trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ. It is popular with retail investors but not commonly followed by professionals due to its stock price weighting, which is considered arbitrary.
Russell 2000: An index measuring the performance of approximately 2,000 smallest-cap American companies in the Russell 3000 Index, which represents about 10% of the total market capitalization of that index.
NYSE Composite: This index covers all common stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange, including American depositary receipts (ADRs), real estate investment trusts (REITs), and tracking stocks. It includes corporations in all industries.
Non-U.S. Stock Indices
FTSE 100 (Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index): An index composed of the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, representing a wide range of industry sectors.
DAX (Deutscher Aktienindex): Represents 40 of the largest and most liquid German companies that trade on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Nikkei 225: A stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange, representing 225 top-rated companies, providing a broad spectrum of the Japanese economy.
Shanghai Composite Index: Tracks all the stocks that trade on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, serving as a benchmark for the overall Chinese stock market.
Industry-Specific Indices
NASDAQ-100: An index composed of the 100 largest, most actively traded U.S companies listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. It's heavily weighted towards technology and biotech.
Dow Jones Transportation Average (DJTA): Tracks the performance of 20 large, well-known U.S. companies within the transportation industry, including airlines, trucking, and railroads.
Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX): Measures the performance of companies within the semiconductor industry, reflecting significant trends in the tech sector.
Other Key Indices and Metrics
WTI Oil Price: West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is a specific grade of crude oil and one of the main global oil benchmarks.
Brent Oil Price: Brent crude is another major trading classification of sweet light crude oil that serves as a major benchmark price for purchases worldwide.
Fed Funds Rate: The interest rate at which depository institutions (banks and credit unions) lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight, on an uncollateralized basis.
10-Year Treasury Rate: The yield or return on investment for the U.S. government's 10-year treasury note, often seen as a barometer for other interest rates and market conditions.
VIX (CBOE Volatility Index): Often referred to as the "fear gauge," it measures the market's expectation of volatility based on S&P 500 index options.