OriginaveIndexes
Every index this site follows — what it tracks, who maintains it, and which ETF gets you in. No jargon.
Broad market indexes
S&P 500 Index
Tracked by SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust)
The 500 biggest companies in the United States, chosen by a committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices and weighted by size — the bigger the company, the bigger its slice. Together they cover roughly 80% of the value of the whole US stock market.
CRSP US Total Market Index
Tracked by VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF)
Basically the entire American stock market in one list: nearly 4,000 companies from giants to micro caps, maintained by CRSP (the Center for Research in Security Prices, now part of Morningstar).
Nasdaq-100 Index
Tracked by QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust)
The 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange — which in practice means it is heavy on technology: chips, software, internet and everything with a keyboard.
MSCI ACWI Index
Tracked by ACWI (iShares MSCI ACWI ETF)
ACWI stands for All Country World Index: about 2,500 large and mid-sized companies across 23 developed and 24 emerging markets, maintained by MSCI.
FTSE Global All Cap Index
Tracked by VT (Vanguard Total World Stock ETF)
Around 10,000 companies from nearly 50 countries, from the very large down to the small — the broadest "just buy the whole world" list on this site, maintained by FTSE Russell.
MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
Tracked by VGT (Vanguard Information Technology ETF)
Every US information-technology company that is realistically buyable — large, mid and small caps classified as tech by the GICS industry standard, a few hundred names dominated by the giants at the top.
MSCI World Index
Tracked by URTH (iShares MSCI World ETF)
About 1,300 large and mid-sized companies across 23 developed countries — the US, Europe, Japan and beyond — covering roughly 85% of each market. The classic "one number for the rich world's stock markets".
Factor indexes
Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
Tracked by SCHD (Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF) — the Dividend factor
100 US companies that have paid a dividend for at least 10 years in a row, screened for financial health and dividend strength. Maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices — the same house that runs the S&P 500.
CRSP US Large Cap Value Index
Tracked by VTV (Vanguard Value ETF) — the Value factor
Roughly 340 large US companies that look cheap compared to their earnings, book value and dividends — the unglamorous half of the market: banks, healthcare, energy, industrials.
CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
Tracked by VUG (Vanguard Growth ETF) — the Growth factor
Roughly 200 large US companies expected to grow faster than the rest — the shiny half of the market: tech, innovation, big ambitions and big price tags.
Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index
Tracked by SCHG (Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF) — the Growth factor
Roughly 500 of the largest growth-classified US companies from the Dow Jones Total Stock Market family — picked by a multi-factor screen (projected and historical earnings growth among them) and weighted by size.
S&P 500 Momentum Index
Tracked by SPMO (Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF) — the Momentum factor
The 100 stocks from the S&P 500 with the strongest 12-month risk-adjusted price momentum, rebalanced twice a year — S&P's own take on the momentum factor, and the recipe behind SPMO.
MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
Tracked by MTUM (iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF) — the Momentum factor
About 125 large US companies that have been winning lately — the index looks at the past six and twelve months and buys what is already going up. No opinion on cheap or expensive; the trend is the whole thesis.
S&P 500 Quality Index
Tracked by SPHQ (Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF) — the Quality factor
Roughly 100 companies from the S&P 500 with the tidiest books: strong return on equity, honest earnings (a clean accruals ratio) and little debt. The sensible-shoes corner of the market.