Market & Structure
S&P 500
Standard & Poor's 500
Definition
An index of 500 largest US publicly traded companies
Explanation
The S&P 500 is one of the most widely followed stock market indices. It includes 500 of the largest companies listed on US stock exchanges, weighted by market capitalization. It's considered the best single gauge of large-cap US equities and represents about 80% of total US market value.
Example
S&P 500 at 5,000 = roughly 50x increase since its 1957 start