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What is the S&P 500? The S&P 500 is a list of the 500 largest US-listed companies by market capitalisation. It is maintained by S&P Global and is considered the definitive benchmark for US stock market performance. When the news says "markets rose 1% today," they almost always mean the S&P 500 rose 1%.
The 500 companies span every major sector of the US economy. The ten largest companies make up approximately 35% of the entire index weight:
| RANK | COMPANY | TICKER | APPROX WEIGHT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | AAPL | ~7% |
| 2 | Microsoft | MSFT | ~6% |
| 3 | NVIDIA | NVDA | ~6% |
| 4 | Amazon | AMZN | ~4% |
| 5 | Alphabet | GOOGL | ~4% |
To be included, a company must: be US-listed, have a market cap of at least $14.5 billion, have positive earnings in the most recent quarter and over the prior four quarters combined, have at least 50% of its shares available to public investors, and meet liquidity requirements.
Trillions of dollars in pension funds, retirement accounts, and index funds track the S&P 500. When a company is added to the index, index funds must buy its shares — creating automatic demand. When a company is removed, index funds must sell — creating automatic selling pressure.
The historical average annual return of the S&P 500 (with dividends reinvested) is approximately 10% per year over long periods, though individual years range dramatically.
Educational purposes only. MarketMVP OVR scores, tiers, and athlete comparisons are proprietary educational tools — not financial advice, investment ratings, or recommendations to buy or sell any security. Always conduct your own research. Full disclaimer