Nasdaq Composite
A market-cap-weighted index of all ~3,000+ companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange, with heavy weighting toward technology.
The Nasdaq Composite is one of the three major US stock indices, covering virtually every security listed on the Nasdaq exchange. Because Nasdaq historically attracted technology, biotech, and growth companies, the index is heavily tech-weighted and more volatile than the S&P 500.
The mega-cap tech names — Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Nvidia — dominate the Nasdaq Composite weighting. When tech leads, the Nasdaq outperforms; in rate-rising environments, its high-duration growth multiples compress harder.
The Nasdaq-100 (NDX) is a subset tracking the 100 largest non-financial Nasdaq listings and is the basis for the popular QQQ ETF — more liquid and tradable than the full Composite.