What is the S&P 500 Index?

The S&P 500 Index measures the value of the stocks of the 500 largest corporations by market capitalization listed on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq. The intention of Standard & Poor's is to have a price that provides a quick look at the stock market and economy.

What is an example of a stock market index?

For example, the S&P 500 index tracks the performance of 500 of the largest U.S. companies. Investors gauge the performance of stocks, bonds or mutual funds by comparing them with the performance of an index. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average are two of the most well-known stock market indexes.

What is the Vanguard 500 index fund?

The Vanguard 500 Index Fund seeks to track the price and yield performance of the S&P 500 Index by investing its total net assets in the stocks comprising the index and holding each component with approximately the same weight as the S&P index. In this way, the fund barely deviates from the S&P, which it is designed to mimic.

What is the NASDAQ 100 Index?

Nasdaq 100 Index, which includes 100 of the largest, most actively traded common equities listed on Nasdaq Nasdaq Composite Index, which the media often simply refers to as the Nasdaq (and which includes more than 2,500 common stocks that trade on Nasdaq)