What is the S&P 500?

The S&P 500 is one of the world’s most popular stock market indices and has almost tripled in value over the last decade. But what is the S&P 500, and which companies does it contain?

A monitor displays the S&P 500 index crossing 5000 on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange
(Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The S&P 500 is a stock market index that acts as a proxy for the US stock market.

The index is made up of 500 of the largest companies in the US and represents around 80% of the total market capitalisation (market cap) of the country. That means that it is a good representation of the health of the stock market and US economy.

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Company

Weight

1

Apple Inc.

7.38%

2

Microsoft Corp

5.97%

3

Nvidia Corp

5.64%

4

Amazon.com Inc

3.81%

5

Meta Platforms, Inc. Class A

2.78%

6

Alphabet Inc. Class A

2.07%

7

Broadcom Inc.

1.86%

8

Berkshire Hathaway Class B

1.85%

9

Alphabet Inc. Class C

1.71%

10

Tesla, Inc.

1.50%

Daniel is a digital journalist at Moneyweek and enjoys writing about personal finance, economics, and politics. He previously worked at The Economist in their Audience team.

Daniel studied History at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and specialised in the history of political thought. In his free time, he likes reading, listening to music, and cooking overambitious meals.