Index Investing
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. What is an Index?
3. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
4. The S&P 500
5. The Nasdaq Composite Index
6. The Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index
7. The Russell 2000
8. Other Indexes
9. Index Funds
10. Conclusion and Resources
Index Investing - Introduction
The market is up, the market is down.... Stock market talk is everywhere, from TV and radio, to the paper and the Web. But what does it mean when people say, "The market turned in a great performance today?" What is "the market" anyway?

As it turns out, when most people talk about "the market," they are actually referring to an index . With the growing importance of the stock market in our society, the names of indexes such as the DJIA , S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite have become part of our everyday vocabulary.

This tutorial will define what an index is, discuss some of the major stock indexes, and explain how you can invest in the stock market using ETF index funds.




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