What's the S&P 500?

Interactive:FINVIZ S&P 500 Map

Make a copy of this google doc and use the website above to answer the questions below.

What Is the S&P 500 Index?

TheS&P 500 or Standard & Poor's 500 Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index of the 500 largest U.S. publicly traded companies. The index is widely regarded as the best gauge of large-cap U.S. equities.

Analyze http://www.finviz.com/map.ashx, which provides a visual representation of a popular stock market index, the S&P 500. Use the interactive to answer the questions below.

Part I: Get Familiar with FinViz

1. Explain what the color range (green and red) in this interactive map represents.

1. Explain what the size of each box indicates about a company in the S&P 500.

1. Hover your mouse over the different companies shown in the map. What do the ticker symbols (e.g. MSFT, FB, etc.) mean?