Markets

S&P/ASX 200

The S&P/ASX 200 index is a market-capitalisation weighted and float-adjusted stock market index of Australian stocks listed on the Australian Securities Exchange from Standard & Poor's. It was started on 31 March, 2000 with a value of 3133.3, equal to the value of the All Ordinaries at that date.

The ASX 200 reached 6,000 points for the first time on Thursday 15 February 2007.

The ASX 200 is market-capitalization weighted meaning that a company's contribution to the index is relative to its total market value i.e. share price x number of tradeable shares. The ASX 200 is also float adjusted meaning that the absolute numerical contribution to the index is relative to the stock's value at the float of the stock.

Although the calculation starts with a sum of the market capitalisation of the constituent stocks, it is intended to reflect changes in share price, NOT market capitalisation. Therefore a fudge factor called the "Divisor" is used to ensure that the index value only changes when stock prices change, not whenever market capitalisation changes. For example, if a company increases its market capitalisation by issuing new shares, the Divisor is adjusted so that the ASX 200 index value does not change.

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), also referred to as the Industrial Average, the Dow Jones, the Dow 30, or simply the Dow, is a stock market index, and one of several indices created by Wall Street Journal editor and Dow Jones & Company co-founder Charles Dow. It is now owned by the CME Group, which is the majority owner of Dow Jones Indexes. The average is named after Dow and one of his business associates, statistician Edward Jones. It is an index that shows how 30 large, publicly owned companies based in the United States have traded during a standard trading session in the stock market. It is the second oldest U.S. market index after the Dow Jones Transportation Average, which was also created by Dow.

The Industrial portion of the name is largely historical, as many of the modern 30 components have little or nothing to do with traditional heavy industry. The average is price-weighted, and to compensate for the effects of stock splits and other adjustments, it is currently a scaled average. The value of the Dow is not the actual average of the prices of its component stocks, but rather the sum of the component prices divided by a divisor, which changes whenever one of the component stocks has a stock split or stock dividend, so as to generate a consistent value for the index.

NASDAQ Composite

The Nasdaq Composite is a stock market index of the common stocks and similar securities (e.g. ADRs, tracking stocks, limited partnership interests) listed on the NASDAQ stock market, meaning that it has over 3,000 components. It is highly followed in the U.S. as an indicator of the performance of stocks of technology companies and growth companies. Since both U.S. and non-U.S. companies are listed on the NASDAQ stock market, the index is not exclusively a U.S. index.

The origins of the NASDAQ began in 1961, when Congress authorized the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct a study of fragmentation in the over-the-counter market. The SEC proposed automation as a possible solution, and entrusted the National Association of Securities Dealers with its execution. Launched on February 5, 1971 with a base value of 100 points, the NASDAQ Composite (which was the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is a broad based index which is calculated under a market capitalization weighted methodology that began trading with median quotes for 2,500 over-the-counter securities.

FTSE 100

The FTSE 100 Index — also called FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the 'footsie' — is a share index of the 100 most highly capitalised UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. Although FTSE is jointly owned by the Financial Times and the London Stock Exchange, the initials are not an acronym nor an initialism and do not stand for "Financial Times Stock Exchange". They are simply borrowed from FTSE's two parent companies. The index began on 3 January 1984 with a base level of 1000; the highest value reached to date is 6950.6, on 30 December 1999. After falling dramatically during the financial crisis of 2007-2010 to a low of below 3,500, the index has recovered by a significant margin to 6,013.87 on 4 January 2011, its highest level since mid-2008.

DAX 30

The DAX (Deutscher Aktien IndeX, formerly Deutscher Aktien-Index (German stock index)) is a blue chip stock market index consisting of the 30 major German companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Prices are taken from the electronic Xetra trading system. According to Deutsche Boerse, the operator of Xetra, DAX measures the performance of the Prime Standard’s 30 largest German companies in terms of order book volume and market capitalization.

The Base date for the DAX is 30 December, 1987 and it was started from a base value of 1,000. The Xetra system calculates the index after every 1 second since January 1, 2006.

Euronext N.V.

Euronext N.V. is a pan-European stock exchange based in Amsterdam and with subsidiaries in Belgium, France, Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom. In addition to equities and derivatives markets, the Euronext group provides clearing and information services. As of Dec 2010, markets run by Euronext had a market capitalisation of US$2.93 trillion, making it the 5th largest exchange in the world. Euronext merged with NYSE Group on April 4, 2007 to form NYSE Euronext, the "first global stock exchange".

Euronext 100

The Euronext 100 Index is the blue chip index of the pan-European exchange, Euronext NV.

It comprises the largest and most liquid stocks traded on Euronext. Each stock must trade more than 20 percent of its issued shares over the course of the rolling one year analysis period. The index is reviewed quarterly through a size and liquidity analysis of the investment universe. As of December 21, 2002, the stocks in the Euronext100 Index represent 80% (euro 1,177 billion) of the total market capitalization of Euronext’s investment universe (euro 1,477 billion). Each stock in the index is given a sector classification.

Next 150

The Next 150 Index is a market capitalisation index of the 150 next largest stocks, representing the large- to mid-capitalisation segment of listed stocks at Euronext. The NextEconomy and NextPrime segments each have a price index and a total return index, weighted by market capitalisation and excluding the shares listed in the Euronext 100 Index. The indices have a base date of 31 December 2001, with a starting level of 1000 points.

CAC 40

The CAC 40 (French: CAC quarante [kak kaʁɑ̃t]) is a benchmark French stock market index. The index represents a capitalization-weighted measure of the 40 most significant values among the 100 highest market caps on the Paris Bourse (now Euronext Paris). It is one of the main national indices of the pan-European stock exchange group Euronext alongside Brussels' BEL20, Lisbon's PSI-20 and Amsterdam's AEX.

The CAC 40 takes its name from the Paris Bourse's early automation system Cotation Assistée en Continu (Continuous Assisted Quotation). Its base value of 1,000 was set on 31 December 1987, equivalent to a market capitalisation of 370,437,433,957.70 French francs. In common with many major world stock markets, its all-time high to date (6922.33 points) was reached at the peak of the dot-com bubble in September 2000. In 1 December 2003, the index's weighting system switched from being dependent on total market capitalisation to free float market cap only, in line with other leading indices.

AEX index

The AEX index, derived from Amsterdam Exchange index, is a stock market index composed of Dutch companies that trade on Euronext Amsterdam, formerly known as the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. Started in 1983, the index is composed of a maximum of 25 of the most actively traded securities on the exchange. It is one of the main national indices of the pan-European stock exchange group Euronext alongside Brussels' BEL20, Paris's CAC 40 and Lisbon's PSI-20.

The AEX started from a base level of 100 index points on 3 January 1983 (a corresponding value of 45.378 is used for historic comparisons due to the adoption of the Euro). The index's peak to date is 703.18, reached on 5 September 2000 at the height of the dot-com bubble. The index value more than halved over the following three years before recovering in line with most global financial markets.

The AEX is a market value-weighted index. At each main annual review, the index weightings of companies in the index are capped at 15%, but range freely with share price subsequently. The index weights are calculated with respect to the closing prices of the relevant companies on March 1. At the interim review in September, weightings after adjustment are left as close as possible to those of the previous day and are not re-capped.

BEL20

The BEL20 is the benchmark stock market index of Euronext Brussels. In general, the index consists of a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 companies traded at the Brussels Stock Exchange. Since Nyrstar was promoted to the index on 4 March 2008, the BEL20 has contained a full 20 listings.

The composition of the BEL20 index is reviewed annually based on closing prices at the end of the calendar year. These changes are effected on the first trading day of every March. In addition to meeting a set of criteria demanding a company be "representative of the Belgian equity market", at least 15% of its shares must be considered free float in order to qualify for the index. In addition, a candidate for inclusion must possess a free float market capitalisation (in Euros) of at least 300000 times the price of the index on the last trading day of December. The minimum requirement for an existing constituent to remain in the index is a market cap of 200000 times the index value. At each annual review, the weights of companies in the index are capped at 15%, but range freely with share price subsequently. The BEL20 is a market value-weighted index.

Swiss Market Index (SMI)

The Swiss Market Index (SMI) is Switzerland's blue-chip stock market index, which makes it the most important in the country. It is made up of twenty of the largest and most liquid SPI large- and mid-cap stocks. As a price index, the SMI is not adjusted for dividends, but a performance index that takes account of such distributions is available (the SMIC - SMI Cum Dividend).

The SMI was introduced on 30 June 1988 at a baseline value of 1500 points. Its composition is examined once a year. Calculation takes place in real-time: as soon as a new transaction occurs in a security contained in the SMI, an updated index level is calculated and displayed.

The securities contained in the SMI currently represent more than 90% of the entire market capitalisation, as well as of 90% trading volume, of all Swiss and Liechtenstein equities listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

OMX Stockholm 30

The OMX Stockholm 30 (OMXS30) is a stock market index for the Stockholm Stock Exchange. It is a market value-weighted index that consists of the 30 most-traded stock classes.

ISEQ 20

The ISEQ 20 is a benchmark stock market index composed of companies that trade on the Irish Stock Exchange. The index comprises the 20 companies with the highest trading volume and market capitalization contained within the ISEQ Overall Index. The index was started on 31 December 2004 at a base of 1,000 points. The Irish Overall Index has a longer history and is more often used for comparing the performance of the Irish stocks for a longer period.

Madrid Stock Exchange General Index

The Madrid Stock Exchange General Index (IGBM) is a capitalization-weighted stock market index that measures the performance of a selected number of continuous market stocks. It is the principal index for the Bolsa de Madrid (Madrid Stock Exchange) and represents the construction, financial services, communications, consumer, capital/intermediate goods, energy and market service sectors. The index was developed with a base value of 100 as of December 31, 1985.

Hang Seng Index

The Hang Seng Index is a freefloat-adjusted market capitalization-weighted stock market index in Hong Kong. It is used to record and monitor daily changes of the largest companies of the Hong Kong stock market and is the main indicator of the overall market performance in Hong Kong. These 45 constituent companies represent about 60% of capitalisation of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

It is Traded between (opening value taken at 09:50) 10.00-12.30 and 14.30-16.00 In the first stage, starting at 7th March, 2011 (opening value will at 09:20 starting from that day) 09.30-12.00 and 13.30-16.00. In the second stage, from 5th March 2012, the afternoon trade will change to 13.00-16.00, that's mark with the mainland trading hours.

HSI was started on November 24, 1969, and is currently compiled and maintained by Hang Seng Indexes Company Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hang Seng Bank, one of the largest banks registered and listed in Hong Kong in terms of market capitalisation. It is responsible for compiling, publishing and managing the Hang Seng Index and a range of other stock indexes, such as Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, Hang Seng China AH Index Series, Hang Seng China H-Financials Index, Hang Seng Composite Index Series, Hang Seng China A Industry Top Index, Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index Series and Hang Seng Total Return Index Series.

Nikkei 225

The Nikkei 225 more commonly called the Nikkei, the Nikkei index, or the Nikkei Stock Average is a stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). It has been calculated daily by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) newspaper since 1950. It is a price-weighted average (the unit is yen), and the components are reviewed once a year. Currently, the Nikkei is the most widely quoted average of Japanese equities, similar to the Dow Jones Industrial Average. In fact, it was known as the "Nikkei Dow Jones Stock Average" from 1975 to 1985.

The Nikkei 225 began to be calculated on September 7, 1950, retroactively calculated back to May 16, 1949. Since January 2010 the index is updated every 15 seconds during trading sessions.