Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)

What Is the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), also known as the Dow 30, is a stock market
index that tracks 30 large, publicly-owned blue-chip companies trading on the New
York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq. The Dow Jones is named after Charles
Dow, who created the index in 1896 along with his business partner Edward Jones. 1

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is a widely-watched benchmark index

in the U.S. for blue-chip stocks.
 The DJIA is a price-weighted index that tracks 30 large, publicly-owned
companies trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq.
 The index was created by Charles Dow in 1896 to serve as a proxy for the broader
U.S. economy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average

Understanding the Dow Jones Industrial Average

The DJIA is the second oldest U.S. market index; the first was the Dow Jones
Transportation Average  (DJTA).1  The DJIA was designed to serve as a proxy for the
health of the broader U.S. economy. Often referred to simply as "the Dow," the DJIA is
one of the most-watched stock market indexes in the world. While the Dow includes a
range of companies, all can be described as blue-chip companies with consistently stable
earnings.

When the index initially launched in 1896, it included only 12 companies. Those
companies were primarily in the industrial sector, including the railroads, cotton, gas,
sugar, tobacco, and oil.2

In the early 20th century, the performance of industrial companies was typically tied to
the overall growth rate in the economy. That cemented the relationship between the
Dow's performance and that of the overall economy. Even today, for many investors, a
strong-performing Dow equals a strong economy (while a weak-performing Dow
indicates a slowing economy).

As the economy changes over time, so does the composition of the index. A component
of the Dow may be dropped when a company becomes less relevant to current trends of
the economy, to be replaced by a new name that better reflects the shift.

A company that loses a large percentage of its market capitalization due to financial
distress might be removed from the Dow. Market capitalization is a method of
measuring the value of a company by multiplying the number of shares outstanding by
its stock price.
Stocks with higher share prices  are given greater weight in the index. So a higher
percentage move in a higher-priced component will have a greater impact on the final
calculated value. At the Dow's inception, Charles Dow calculated the average by adding
the prices of the twelve Dow component stocks and dividing by twelve. The end result
was a simple average. Over time, there have been additions and subtractions to the
index, such as mergers and stock splits that had to be accounted for. At this point, a
simple mean calculation no longer made sense.

The Dow Divisor and Index Calculation

The Dow Divisor was created to address the simple average issue. The divisor is a
predetermined constant that is used to determine the effect of a one-point move in any
of the approximately 30 stocks that comprise the Dow. There have been instances when
the divisor needed to be changed so that the value of the Dow stayed consistent. The
Dow Divisor as of Dec. 27, 2021 was 0.15172752595384. 3

The Dow is not calculated using a weighted arithmetic average and it does not represent
its component companies' market capitalization (unlike the S&P 500). Rather, it reflects
the sum of the price of one share of stock for all the components, divided by the divisor.
Thus, a one-point move in any of the component stocks will move the index by an
identical number of points.

DJIA Price = SUM (Component stock prices) / Dow Divisor

Dow Index Components

The Dow is often re-evaluated to replace companies that no longer meet the listing
criteria with those that do. By 1928, the index had grown to 30 components. Its
composition has changed many times since then. 2

The first change came just three months after the 30-component index was launched. In
its first few years until roughly the Great Depression, there were numerous changes to
its components. The first large-scale change was in 1932 when eight stocks in the Dow
were replaced.4

The most recent large-scale change to the composition of the Dow prior to 2020 took
place in 1997. At this time, four of the index's components were replaced: Travelers'
Group replaced Westinghouse Electric; Johnson & Johnson replaced Bethlehem Steel;
Hewlett-Packard took over Texaco's spot, and Wal-Mart replaced Woolworth's. 5

Two years later, in 1999, four more components of the Dow were changed, when
Chevron, Sears Roebuck, Union Carbide, and Goodyear Tire were dropped while Home
Depot, Intel, Microsoft, and SBC Communications were added. 5

On June 26, 2018, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. replaced General Electric Company. 6  In
addition, United Technologies merged with Raytheon Company and the new
corporation entered the index as Raytheon Technologies, while DowDuPont spun off
DuPont and was replaced by Dow Chemical Company in 2020 and 2019, respectively. 7 8
On Aug. 24, 2020, Salesforce, Amgen, and Honeywell were added to the Dow, replacing
ExxonMobil, Pfizer, and Raytheon Technologies. 9

The table below alphabetically lists the companies included in the DJIA as of January
2022:

Dow Jones Industrial Average Components

Company Symbol Year Added
3M MMM 1976
American Express AXP 1982
Amgen AMGN 2020
Apple Inc. AAPL 2015
Boeing BA 1987
Caterpillar CAT 1991
Chevron CVX 2008
Cisco Systems CSCO 2009
The Coca-Cola Company KO 1987
Dow Inc. DOW 2019
Goldman Sachs GS 2013
The Home Depot HD 1999
Honeywell HON 2020
IBM IBM 1979
Intel INTC 1999
Johnson & Johnson JNJ 1997
JPMorgan Chase JPM 1991
McDonald's MCD 1985
Merck & Co. MRK 1979
Microsoft MSFT 1999
NIKE NKE 2013
Proctor & Gamble PG 1932
Salesforce CRM 2020
The Travelers Companies TRV 2009
UnitedHealth Group UNH 2012
Verizon VZ 2004
Visa V 2013
Walmart WMT 1997
Walgreens Boots Alliance WBA 2018
The Walt Disney
DIS 1991
Company
30 DJIA companies as of January 2022

Historical Milestones

The following are some important historical milestones achieved by the Dow: 
  March 15, 1933: The largest one-day percentage gain in the index happened
during the 1930s bear market, totaling 15.34%. The Dow gained 8.26 points and
closed at 62.10.1 0
 Oct. 19, 1987: The largest one-day percentage drop took place on Black Monday.
The index fell 22.61%. There was no evident explanation for the crash, although
program trading may have been a contributing factor. 1 1
 Sept. 17, 2001: The fourth-largest one-day point drop—and the largest at the time
—took place the first day of trading following the 9/11 attacks in New York City.
The Dow dropped 684.81 points or about 7.1%. 1 2  However, it is important to note
that the index had been dropping before Sept. 11, losing more than 1,000 points
between Jan. 2 and Sept. 10. The DJIA started to make traction after the attacks
and regained all of what it lost, closing above 10,000 for the year.
 May 3, 2013: The Dow surpassed the 15,000 mark for the first time in history. 1 3  
 Jan. 25, 2017: The Dow closed above 20,000 points for the first time. 1 4
 Jan. 4, 2018: The index closed at 25,075.13, the first close above 25,000 points. 1 5
 Jan. 17, 2018: The Dow closed at 26,115.65, the first close above 26,000 points. 1 6
 Feb. 5, 2018: The Dow fell a record 1,175.21 points. 1 7
 Dec. 26, 2018: The Dow recorded its largest one-day point gain of 1,086.25. 1 8
 July 11, 2019: The Dow broke above 27,000 for the first time in its history. 1 9
 Feb. 12, 2020: The Dow hits its pre-pandemic high of 29,551. 2 0
 March 2020: The Dow Jones crashes with back-to-back record down days amid
the global coronavirus pandemic, breaking below 20,000 and falling 3,000 points
in a single day amid several 2,000 and 1,500 up and down moves. It officially
entered bear market territory on March 11, 2020, ending the longest bull market
in history that began in March 2009. 2 1
 Nov. 16, 2020: The Dow finally breaks its pre-COVID-19 high, reaching 29,950.44
points.2 2
 Nov. 24, 2020: The Dow breaks the 30,000 level  for the first time, closing at
30,045.84.2 3
 July 2021: On July 12, 2021, the Dow trades above 35,000 for the first time ever.
On July 23, 2021, it closes above 35,000 for the first time ever. 2 4  

Individuals can invest in the Dow, which would mean gaining exposure to all of the
companies listed in it, through exchange-traded funds (ETFs), such as the SPDR Dow
Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA).

Limitations of the DJIA

Many critics of the Dow argue that it does not significantly represent the state of the
U.S. economy as it consists of only 30 large-cap U.S. companies. They believe the
number of companies is too small and it neglects companies of different sizes. Many
critics believe the S&P 500 is a better representation of the economy as it includes
significantly more companies, 500 versus 30.

Important: The S&P 500 has outperformed the DIJA on an annualized basis over the last
one-, three-, five-, and 10-year periods. 2 5 2 6

Furthermore, critics believe that factoring only the price of a stock in the calculation
does not accurately reflect a company, as much as considering a company's market cap
would. In this manner, a company with a higher stock price but a smaller market cap
would have more weight than a company with a smaller stock price but a larger market
cap, which would poorly reflect the true size of a company.

Dow 30 Stocks List FAQ

What are the 30 stocks in the Dow?

The 30 stocks which make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average are: 3M, American
Express, Amgen, Apple, Boeing, Caterpillar, Chevron, Cisco Systems, Coca-Cola, Disney,
Dow, Goldman Sachs, Home Depot, Honeywell, IBM, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, JP
Morgan Chase, McDonald’s, Merck, Microsoft, Nike, Procter & Gamble, Salesforce,
Travelers, UnitedHealth, Visa, Walgreens, and Walmart.
What is the record high for the Dow Jones?

The highest close for the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1896 (when it was first
introduced) is 36,799.65 on January 4, 2022.
Who maintains the Dow Jones Industrial Average?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices.
Can you invest in Dow Jones?

You can invest in the Dow Jones Industrial Average with an ETF such as the SPDR Dow
Jones Industrial Average ETF.
Which Dow stock pays the highest dividend?

Of the 30 Dow Jones Industrial Companies, IBM pays the highest dividend with an
annual dividend yield of over 4%.
Can you outperform the Dow Jones Industrial Average?

Yes. So far this century, the Dogs of the Dow has significantly outperformed the Dow.
What are the newest Dow 30 companies?

The new Dow 30 stocks are Amgen, Honeywell, and Salesforce. They were added
effective Monday August 31, 2020. These latest Dow 30 additions replace Pfizer,
Raytheon, and ExxonMobil which was the oldest of the Dow 30 stocks (ExxonMobil had
been a Dow 30 stock since October 1, 1928).
How many stocks are there in the Dow?

The number of Dow stocks is fixed at 30 and has been since October 1, 1928.
What were the original Dow Jones companies?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was first published on May 26, 1896 with the
following 12 stocks (in alphabetic order): American Cotton Oil, American Sugar,
American Tobacco, Chicago Gas, Distilling & Cattle Feeding, General Electric, Laclede
Gas, National Lead, North American, Tennessee Coal & Iron, U.S. Leather, and U.S.
Rubber.

List of the 30 constituents of the Dow Jones index by market capitalization

To help you learn more about these top industrial corporations, details about the 30 Dow
Jones companies have been collected hereafter. Each company is listed with
presentations of its sector and industry, activities, market capitalization, a direct link to
its website, logo, and stock symbol. The Dow 30 companies are ranked by market
capitalization in United States Dollars, as of effective close on Friday, January 15, 2021.

Note that if you are searching for information on these companies to invest in their
stocks, make sure you know what you are doing as your investment will be subject to
significant risks with the evolution of stock prices. To learn more about investing in the
stock market and managing your portfolio, check our post on the best online courses on
stock investing and trading.

Shortcuts to each Dow Jones company

To facilitate your browsing in this long list, here are quick links to go directly to the
details of any of the 30 Dow companies. Be sure to also check the Top 10 Dow Jones
companies’ summary after the list!

30. Travelers
31. Walgreens Boots Alliance
32. Dow
33. 3M
34. American Express
35. Goldman Sachs
36. Caterpillar
37. IBM
38. Boeing
39. Amgen
40. Honeywell
41. McDonald’s
42. Chevron
43. Cisco
44. Salesforce

1. Coca-Cola
2. Merck & Co.
3. Nike
4. Intel
5. Verizon
6. Home Depot
7. Disney
8. Procter & Gamble
9. UnitedHealth Group
10. Walmart
11. Johnson & Johnson
12. JPMorgan Chase
13. Visa
14. Microsoft
15. Apple
30. Travelers

Sector: Financials – Industry: Property & Casualty Insurance

The Travelers Companies, Inc., better known as Travelers, is an insurance company

particularly involved in commercial property-casualty insurance. One of the largest
insurers in the US, Travelers operates in personal insurance, business insurance, and
bonds. It has expanded in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, China, Canada, and
Brazil.

Website: travelers.com – Market Cap.: $36.3 Billion – Stock ticker: TRV

29. Walgreens Boots Alliance

Sector: Consumer Staples – Industry: Drug Retail

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. is a holding company that owns Walgreens, Boots, and a
number of pharmaceutical manufacturing, wholesale, and distribution companies. It
operates in 25 countries through three divisions: retail pharmacy USA (Walgreens), retail
pharmacy international (Boots and other retail operations internationally), and
pharmaceutical wholesale (Alliance Healthcare).

Website: walgreensbootsalliance.com – Market Cap.: $42.3 Billion – Stock ticker: WBA

28. Dow

Sector: Materials – Industry: Commodity Chemicals

Dow Inc., is the parent company of The Dow Chemical Company, a world-leading
chemical company engaged in the production of plastics, chemicals, and agricultural
products. It primarily sells its products to other industries rather than end-consumers.

Website: dow.com – Market Cap.: $42.5 Billion – Stock ticker: DOW

27. 3M

Sector: Industrials – Industry: Industrial Conglomerates

3M Company is a diversified industrial and technology company operating through a

wide range of sectors: automotive, commercial solutions, communications, consumer,
design and construction, electronics, energy, health care, manufacturing, mining, oil and
gas, safety, transportation.

Website: 3m.com – Market Cap.: $95.5 Billion – Stock ticker: MMM

26. American Express

Sector: Financials – Industry: Consumer Finance

The American Express Company, also known as Amex, was founded in 1850. Originally
involved in freight forwarding, American Express has later engaged in travel services
and become a leader in cards and payments technology before expanding further to
innovative digital products and services.

Website: americanexpress.com – Market Cap.: $98.4 Billion – Stock ticker: AXP

25. Goldman Sachs

Sector: Financials – Industry: Investment Banking & Brokerage

Founded in 1869, the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., is one of the world’s largest
multinational investment banks headquartered in New York City. It is also engaged in
financial services including investment management, securities, asset management,
prime brokerage, and securities underwriting. Goldman Sachs is a primary dealer in the
United States Treasury security market and more generally, a prominent market maker.

Website: goldmansachs.com – Market Cap.: $103.6 Billion – Stock ticker: GS

24. Caterpillar

Sector: Industrials – Industry: Construction Machinery & Heavy

Trucks

Caterpillar Inc. is a world-leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment,

diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. It
operates through its main Cat, Cat Financial, Cat Reman, and Cat rental store brands as
well as multiple other specialized brands.

Website: caterpillar.com – Market Cap.: $105.7 Billion – Stock ticker: CAT

23. IBM

Sector: Information Technology – Industry: IT Consulting & Other

Services

Founded in 1911, the International Business Machines Corporation, better known as

IBM, is a multinational information technology company operating in more than 170
countries. Manufacturing and marketing computer hardware, middleware and software,
and providing hosting and consulting services, IBM is also a major technology research
organization.

Website: ibm.com – Market Cap.: $114.4 Billion – Stock ticker: IBM

22. Boeing

Sector: Industrials – Industry: Aerospace & Defense

The Boeing Company is one of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers and defense
contractors and it is the largest exporter in dollar value of the United States. Founded in
1916, Boeing is involved in the design, manufacturing, and worldwide sales of airplanes,
rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles; it also provides leasing and product support
services.

Website: boeing.com – Market Cap.: $115.3 Billion – Stock ticker: BA

21. Amgen

Sector: Health Care – Industry: Biotechnology

Amgen Inc. is a multinational biotechnology and pharmaceutical company. It produces

various drugs, including Neulasta, which prevents infections for patients undergoing
cancer chemotherapy, Enbrel, a necrosis blocker for the treatment of autoimmune
diseases. Focusing on molecular biology and biochemistry, Amgen aims at developing
health care through recombinant DNA technology.

Website: amgen.com – Market Cap.: $142.9 Billion – Stock ticker: AMGN

20. Honeywell
 Sector: Industrials – Industry: Industrial Conglomerates

Honeywell is a multinational industrial conglomerate. Tracing its origins to 1906,

Honeywell has evolved from a heating company to a diversified global industrial
company through a number of acquisitions. It now operates in four key business areas:
aerospace, building technologies, performance materials and technologies, and safety
and productivity solutions.

Website: honeywell.com – Market Cap.: $144.5 Billion – Stock ticker: HON

19. McDonald’s

Sector: Consumer Discretionary – Industry: Restaurants

Founded in 1940 as a restaurant, McDonald’s has evolved to become a leading fast-food

franchise. As of 2016, McDonald’s was the world’s largest restaurant chain by revenue,
serving over 69 million customers daily in more than 36,900 outlets, located in more than
100 countries.

Website: corporate.mcdonalds.com – Market Cap.: $156.4 Billion – Stock ticker: MCD

18. Chevron

Sector: Energy – Industry: Integrated Oil & Gas

Chevron Corporation is an energy multinational company involved in every aspect of

the oil, natural gas, and geothermal energy industries in more than 180 countries.
Chevron operates in hydrocarbon exploration and production, hydrocarbon refining,
marketing and transport, chemicals manufacturing and sales, and power generation.

Website: chevron.com – Market Cap.: $177.3 Billion – Stock ticker: CVX

17. Cisco
 Sector: Information Technology – Industry: Communications
Equipment

Cisco Systems, Inc. is a multinational technology conglomerate developing,

manufacturing, and selling networking hardware, telecommunications equipment, and
other high-technology services and products. Through its multiple subsidiaries, Cisco is
also specializing in Internet-of-Things, domain security, and energy management.

Website: cisco.com – Market Cap.: $192 Billion – Stock ticker: CSCO

16. Salesforce

Sector: Information Technology – Industry: Application Software

Salesforce.com, Inc. is a cloud-based enterprise software company. Especially known for

its customer-relationship management (CRM) service which operates with a platform-as-
a-service model, Salesforce also provides a number of enterprise applications dedicated
to customer service, marketing automation, analytics, and application development.

Website: salesforce.com – Market Cap.: $195.6 Billion – Stock ticker: CRM

15. Coca-Cola

Sector: Consumer Staples – Industry: Soft Drinks

Founded in 1886, the Coca-Cola Company is involved in the manufacturing, retail, and
marketing of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. It is primarily known for
its sparkling sodas including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, and Sprite, but is also engaged
in still beverages, such as waters, juices, and juice drinks, ready-to-drink teas, and
coffees, sports drinks, dairy, and energy drinks.

Website: coca-colacompany.com – Market Cap.: $209.3 Billion – Stock ticker: KO

14. Merck & Co.

Sector: Health Care – Industry: Pharmaceuticals

Merck & Company, Inc., known as Merck Sharp & Dohme, or MSD, outside the United
States and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
Founded in 1891 in the US, and independent since World War I from its parent
company, now one of the largest companies in Germany, Merck provides prescription
medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and animal health products.

Website: merck.com – Market Cap.: $211 Billion – Stock ticker: MRK

13. Nike

Sector: Consumer Discretionary – Industry: Apparel, Accessories &

Luxury Goods

Nike, Inc. is a world-leading multinational corporation manufacturing and supplying

athletic shoes, sports apparel, and equipment. Nike is involved in the design,
development, manufacturing, marketing, and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment,
accessories, and associated services.

Website: nike.com – Market Cap.: $221.8 Billion – Stock ticker: NKE

12. Intel

Sector: Information Technology – Industry: Semiconductors

Intel Corporation, commonly known as Intel, is a multinational corporation and

technology company, especially involved in the production and sales of microprocessors
and semiconductor chips powering personal computers. Intel also diversifies in other
technologies, including cloud, Internet of Things, computer memory, and 5G-
connectivity.

Website: intel.com – Market Cap.: $236 Billion – Stock ticker: INTC

11. Verizon

Sector: Communication Services – Industry: Integrated

Telecommunication Services

Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is a diversified

multinational telecommunications conglomerate. Verizon is engaged in a range of
communications segments, including 5G, wireless networks, broadband and fiber, media
and technology, Internet of Things, and manager security.
Website: verizon.com – Market Cap.: $237.4 Billion – Stock ticker: VZ

10. Home Depot

Sector: Consumer Discretionary – Industry: Home Improvement Retail

The Home Depot Inc. is a retailing company that sells tools, home improvement
supplies, construction products, and services. Home Depot is the largest home
improvement retailer in the United States, also operating in Canada and Mexico.

Website: homedepot.com – Market Cap.: $296.7 Billion – Stock ticker: HD

9. Disney

Sector: Communication Services – Industry: Movies &

Entertainment

Founded in 1923, the Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney, is a

diversified multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It is notably
involved in film studios through Walt Disney Studios and 21st Century Fox. Other main
divisions include Walt Disney parks, experiences and consumer products, Disney Media
Networks which owns and operates cable television networks (ABC broadcast network,
Disney Channel, ESPN, A&E Networks, and Freeform) and the new Disney+ video-on-
demand service, notably launched to develop new ways to monetize the company’s
content and compete against Netflix, and other VOD services.

Website: thewaltdisneycompany.com – Market Cap.: $310.4 Billion – Stock ticker: DIS

8. Procter & Gamble

Sector: Consumer Staples – Industry: Personal Products

Founded in 1837, the Procter & Gamble Company, also known as P&G, is a multinational
consumer goods corporation providing a wide range of personal health/consumer
health and personal care and hygiene products in the segments of beauty, grooming,
healthcare, fabric and home, and baby, feminine and family care.

Website: us.pg.com – Market Cap.: $332.8 Billion – Stock ticker: PG

7. UnitedHealth Group
Sector: Health Care – Industry: Managed Health Care

UnitedHealth Group is the largest healthcare company in the world by revenue, offering
diversified health care products and insurance services. It serves clients through two
distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare which provides health care coverage and benefits
services, and Optum which provides information and technology-enabled health
services.

Website: unitedhealthgroup.com – Market Cap.: $333.3 Billion – Stock ticker: UNH

6. Walmart

Sector: Consumer Staples – Industry: Hypermarkets & Super

Centers

Walmart Inc. is a multinational retail corporation operating a chain of hypermarkets,

discount department stores, and grocery stores. Walmart is the world’s largest company
by revenue, employing more than 2.3 million people in 28 countries.

Website: walmart.com – Market Cap.: $409.2 Billion – Stock ticker: WMT

5. Johnson & Johnson

Sector: Health Care – Industry: Pharmaceuticals

Johnson & Johnson is a multinational medication, first aid supplies, and consumer
packaged goods manufacturing and sales company founded in 1886. Regrouping
numerous famous brands, Johnson & Johnson’s line of products notably includes Band-
Aid, Tylenol, Johnson’s baby products, Neutrogena, Clean & Clear, and Acuvue.

Website: jnj.com – Market Cap.: $422 Billion – Stock ticker: JNJ

4. JPMorgan Chase
Sector: Financials – Industry: Diversified Banks
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is a multinational investment bank and financial services
company headquartered in New York City. With origins dating back to 1799, JPMorgan
Chase has become one of the world’s largest universal bank operating worldwide. It is
involved in retail and commercial as well as in investment banking, asset management,
private banking, private wealth management, and treasury services.

Website: jpmorganchase.com  – Market Cap.: $422.6 Billion – Stock ticker: JPM

3. Visa

Sector: Information Technology – Industry: Data Processing &

Outsourced Services

Visa Inc., is a multinational financial services corporation facilitating electronic funds

transfers throughout the world. It operates payment products that financial institutions
use to offer credit, debit, prepaid, and cash access programs to their customers via Visa-
branded credit cards, gift cards, and debit cards.

Website: usa.visa.com – Market Cap.: $444.4 Billion – Stock ticker: V

2. Microsoft

Sector: Information Technology – Industry: Systems Software

Microsoft Corporation is a multinational technology company developing,

manufacturing, licensing, supporting, and selling computer software, most notably the
Windows operating systems, the Microsoft Office suite, Internet Explorer and Edge web
browsers. It is also involved in consumer electronics with the Xbox video game consoles,
touchscreen personal computers with Microsoft Surface, and related services.

Website: microsoft.com – Market Cap.: $1,607.7 Billion – Stock ticker: MSFT

1. Apple

Sector: Information Technology – Industry: Technology Hardware,

Storage & Peripherals

Apple Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets mobile phones and media devices,
computers, notably the iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. The
company also conceives and sells a range of related software and services: the iPhone OS
(iOS), OS X and watchOS operating systems, iCloud, and Apple Pay. Apple also sells
accessories, support offerings, and third-party digital content and applications.

Website: apple.com – Market Cap.: $2,204.3 Billion – Stock ticker: AAPL

20 Richest Companies in the World by Market Cap 2022

There are different metrics used by finance experts to know the value of a company and
one such popular parameter is based on the market capitalization which is commonly
referred to as market cap in stock market parlance. This article is about the top 20 richest
companies in the world in the listed market.

In case you happen to be new in the world of investing, the market cap is arrived at by
multiplying the current market price of the company with outstanding shares issued by
the company. The figures mentioned below are in US Dollars.

So let us now quickly have a look at the top 20 richest companies in the world as of January 2022.

Top 20 Richest Companies in the World

The list is dominated by American-based companies while we also have companies from
Saudi Arabia, China, Taiwan, South Korea.

1. Apple Inc – 2.4 Trillion USD

Industry: Electronics, Information Technology

Product: Mobile, iPod, Personal computers, and tablets

Apple Inc, a Cupertino-based American tech company is the most valuable company in
the world with a record market cap of $ 2.4 Trillion. Apple is the most successful brand
with a revenue of $275 billion dollars as of 2020. It has been founded in the year 1976 by
three tech wizards – Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Jobs.

Apple was initially engaged in the segment of the personal computer which later grew
exponentially after its huge success with its entry into the mobile phone segment. Apple
Inc which started with Laptops and iPhones has now diversified into a wide range of
products like Smartwatch, iPod tablets, Television, Accessories, etc.

Apple is the first publicly traded company in the world to achieve a 2 Trillion market cap
in 2020. It has now more than 512 retail stores worldwide and employs nearly 147,000
employees.

2. Microsoft – 2.14 Trillion USD

Industry: Software Development, Information technology, Consumer electronics.

Products: Windows Operating System, Microsoft Office, Xbox, Search engine.

Microsoft is the second-largest company in the world with a market cap of $2.14 Trillion.

Founded in the year 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft is a world leader in the
field of the personal computer software market. The Microsoft Windows operating
system was a runaway success that generated huge profits for the company.

Microsoft, which is headquartered in Redmond, Washington achieved revenue of  $143

billion and has 166,475 employees on its payroll.

3. Saudi Aramco – 1.86 Trillion USD

Industry: Oil and gas production, refining.

Products: Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and petrochemical derivatives.

Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabian Oil Company) went public barely two years back in 2019
and it is the world’s third-largest company with a market cap of 1.86 Trillion dollars.
Aramco which is owned by the Saudi government is considered to be the world’s
second-largest company with crude oil reserves of 270 billion barrels.

Saudi Arabia is part of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting (OPEC) countries
along with 12 other countries which contribute 44% of global oil production.

Dahran based Saudi Aramco which raised a record $25.6 billion dollars in its initial
public offer (IPO) was founded in the year 1933. The company recorded revenue of $230
billion in 2020. Aramco has subsidiaries in China, Japan, Russia, UAE, USA, Great
Britain, and many other countries. Aramco employs around 66,800 employees
worldwide and 98.5% of the company stake is held by the Saudi Arabian government.

4. Alphabet – 1.8 Trillion USD

Industry: Internet, Software services.

Products: Operating System, Search Engine, Mobile Phone

Alphabet Inc, an American multinational company is the parent company of Google LLC
and several other subsidiary companies.

Alphabet is the world’s fourth-largest company with a market cap of $1.8 trillion,
founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998 when they were studying at Stanford
University.

California-based Google inc is the undisputed leader in the search engine segment
worldwide with a market share of 92.47% as of June 2021. Alphabet made revenue of
$182 billion in 2020 and employs close to 135,000 employees worldwide.

5. Amazon – 1.68 Trillion USD

Industry: Retail business, E-Commerce, Artificial Intelligence.

Products: Software, Kindle, FireTV, Echo

Amazon.com, Inc, an American multinational tech company is the fourth-largest in the

world with a market cap of $1.68 Trillion. Jeff Bezos who happens to be the world’s
richest person founded Amazon in his garage in 1994.

Amazon initially started as an online marketplace company that used to sell books and
later expanded to sell almost everything required in today’s world like Video games,
Apparel, Furniture, Shoes, Computers, Consumer electronics on its online portal.
Amazon recorded the highest ever revenue of $386 billion in 2020 making it the world’s
largest Internet company by revenue. It employs record 1,298,000 employees across the
globe.

6. Facebook – 992 Billion USD

Industry: Internet

Services: Facebook portal, Messenger

California-based Facebook Inc is the fifth-largest company in the world with a market
cap of $992 billion. It is the world’s most popular social networking site.

Founded by Mark Zuckerberg in the year 2004, Facebook has acquired many social
media companies like Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus in the recent past.

Facebook which is popularly known as FB has recorded the highest ever sales of $86
billion in 2020 since its inception. It employs 60,600 associates worldwide. FB has
approximately 2.85 billion monthly active users as of 2021.

7. Tesla – 703 Billion USD

Industry: Automobiles, Energy

Products: Cars, Trucks, Solar roofs, Battery, etc

Tesla is an American automotive and energy company that is also the world’s largest
electric vehicle manufacturer. The company commands a market cap of 703 billion
dollars.

The company also makes solar panels, solar roof tiles, and batteries to provide green
energy. Tesla along with 27 other companies have formed ZETA (Zero Emission
Transport Association (ZETA) in the year 2020 to move all internal combustion vehicles
to electric.

Palo-Alto-based Tesla Inc was founded by Martin Eberhard and Mark Tarpenning in
2003. However present CEO Elon Musk is the face of the company and a major
shareholder with a 22% stake in Tesla. In the year 2009, Tesla produced its debut car
model, the Roadster. Tesla has 70,700 employees and 598 retail stores spread across
different parts of the world.

8. Berkshire Hathaway – 636 Billion USD

Industry: Insurance, Finances, Media, Railway transport, food, and non-food products

Products: Property and casualty insurance, Diversified Investments

Berkshire Hathaway is a US-based American conglomerate holding company that has

significant holdings in many companies. Berkshire Hathaway initially started as a textile
manufacturing company when it was founded 182 years ago in the year 1839.

Legendary investor Warren Buffett is chairman and CEO of the company and is
popularly known as “The Oracle of Omaha” for his investment philosophy.

Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway has a market cap of $ 636 Billion with
revenue of $245 billion as of 2020. The company has 360,000 active employees. The share
price of the company is quoting northwards of $400,000 per share and it is the world’s
most expensive stock in absolute terms.

9. Taiwan Semiconductor – 606 Billion USD

Industry: Semiconductors

Services: Manufacture of Integrated circuits and related services

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Limited (TSMC) is Taiwan based

multinational company that manufactures semiconductors.

It is Taiwans’ largest company located in Hsinchu Science Park in Hsinchu. TSMC which
is the world’s most valuable company in the semiconductor segment has a market cap of
$606 billion.
TSMC was founded in the year 1987 by Morris Chang and it is presently owned by
foreign investors. The company achieved sales of $47.95 billion in 2020 and has a 56,800
strong workforce across the globe.

10. Tencent holdings – 592 Billion USD

Industry: Internet

Products: Social networking, instant messaging, mass media, web portals

Tencent is a Chinese conglomerate tech company which is also a venture company and
an investment holding with a market cap of $592 billion.

Tencent Holdings is a significantly large company not only in the gaming industry but
also in various other segments where it operates like mobile games, music, web portals,
e-commerce, Internet services.

Founded in the year 1998 by five members – Pony Ma, Zhang Zhidong, Xu Chenye,
Chen Yidan, and Zeng Liqing, Tencent is the first Asian tech company to surpass the
$500 billion market cap in 2018. The company generated revenue of $73.5 billion as of
2020 and it is headquartered in Nanshan District of Shenzhen. Tencent Music has 700
million active users and it employs 85,800 people.

11. Alibaba – 541 Billion USD

Industry: Internet

Products: E-commerce, online money transfers, mobile commerce

Alibaba group holding limited is a Chinese tech company that caters to the e-commerce,
retail, and Internet industry. Alibaba was founded by Jack ma in the year 1999 and it
recorded $109.4 billion in 2020.

Jack Ma is one of the richest businessmen in the Asian continent with a net worth of $51
billion. Alibaba has a diverse portfolio of companies that operate in different market
segments across the world.

12. Visa – 527 Billion USD

Industry:  Financial Services

Services: Payments
Visa Inc is a California-based financial services company with a revenue of $21.85 billion
as of 2020. Visa clears the way for funds transfers done by electronic means across the
world, through its popular Visa-branded credit cards, debit cards, and prepaid cards.

Visa Inc provides a platform for financial institutions with payment products that can be
used to offer credit, debit, prepaid cards to their customers. Visa does a whopping 150
million transactions in a day.

13. NVIDIA – 514 Billion USD

Industry: Semiconductors, Artificial intelligence, Video games

Products: Processor, GPU

Nvidia is a California-based American company that designs graphics processing units

(GPUs) and application programming interface (API) with sales of $10.9 billion. Nvidia
was founded in 1993 and employs 18,100 people as of 2020.

14. Samsung – 479 Billion USD

Industry: Electronics, Financial Services, Construction, Retail

Products: Mobile Phone, Flash memory, etc

Samsung is Seoul, South Korea-based multinational electronics company which is the

world’s largest mobile phone manufacturing company. It also makes batteries, IC chips,
hard disks, Image sensors, cameras, etc, and has a sales network in 74 countries.
Samsung employs 290,000 associates.

Samsung was founded in the year 1969 which specialized in fertilizers and sweeteners.
The company recorded revenue of $200 billion in 2020.

15. Johnson & Johnson – 457 Billion USD

Industry: Pharmaceuticals

Products: Baby care products, Drugs, and Medical equipment

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American pharma company that makes medical devices,
drugs, vaccines, and baby care products with a revenue of $82.5 billion as of 2020.
It was founded in the year 1886 by Robert Wood Johnson I, James Wood Johnson &
Edward Mead Johnson. J&J operates in 60 different countries and has 250 subsidiary
companies.

16. JP Morgan Chase – 456 Billion USD

Industry: Banking

Services: Investment Banking, Credit cards, Retail banking, and Corporate Banking

JP Morgan chase is one of the oldest banks in the history of the US which offers
commercial and investment banking services. Founded by legendary banker J.P. Morgan
in the year 1871, JP Morgan is a banking behemoth with total assets of $3.38 Trillion
providing employment to 255,000 people worldwide.

JP Morgan is the largest bank in the US and the fourth-largest bank in the world with a
revenue of $119 billion as of 2020.

17. LVMH – 416 Billion USD

Industry: Luxury Goods

Products: Clothing, cosmetics, fashion accessories, jewelry, perfumes, watches, etc

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy which is popularly known as LVMH is France based
luxury goods company with a revenue of 53.7 billion Euros. It was founded by Alain
Chevalier & Henry Racamie in the year 1987 which manages prestigious brands like
Christian Dior, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Loro, Celine, Fenty, etc.

Paris-based LVMH is the largest company in France which employs approximately

83,000 people.

18. Walmart – 407 Billion USD

Industry: Retail

Services: Department stores, Hypermarkets

Walmart Inc is a US-based retail giant that operates hypermarkets, grocery stores with a
revenue of $559 billion. Walmart was founded by Sam Walton in the year 1962.
As of 2021, it has 10,526 retail stores operating in 24 different countries. It is one of the
world’s largest employers providing employment to 2.2 million workers across the
globe.

19. United Health Group – 387 Billion USD

Industry: Healthcare

Services: Healthcare services and Insurance

UnitedHealth Group (UHG) is US-based healthcare and insurance company with a

market cap of $387 billion. UHG was incorporated in the year 1977 which offers health
care services and insurance.

It is the world’s largest insurance company in terms of net premium collected with
revenue of $257 billion. Minnesota-based healthcare major has an employee base of
330,000 as of 2020.

20. Master Card – 367 Billion USD

Industry: Financial Services

Services: Payments

Mastercard Inc is another financial services giant from America, headquartered in New
York with a revenue of 15.3 billion dollars. Like its rival partner Visa Inc, Master card
also clears the way for funds transfers done by electronic means across the world,
through its popular Master-Card branded credit cards, debit cards, and prepaid cards.

Mastercard which was a cooperative company before it went public in the year 2006 was
formed by an alliance of several regional bankcard associations. The company employs
21,000 people across the globe.

The World’s Most Influential CEOs And Business Executives Of 2022

Sophie IrelandCEO InsiderStats GateJanuary 25, 2022
CEOWORLD magazine has revealed its annual list of the most influential CEOs and
Business Executives in the world. The issue features CEOs and top business executives,
including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Tech honchos like Apple CEO Tim Cook, and
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. Unsurprisingly, Tim Cook came first in the CEOWORLD
magazine’s global ranking of the world’s best chief executives across all industries for
2022.

He is followed by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai, who is the CEO of
Alphabet (Google). The 2022 rankings placed Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy in 4th spot
ahead of Tesla’s Elon Musk into 5th, Meta (Facebook) CEO Mark Zuckerberg ranked
sixth; while Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway ranked seventh, and Dr. C.C. Wei of
TSMC Taiwan eighth. Overall, among the top 10 best CEOs and business executives in
the world for 2022, the ninth and tenth positions are held by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang
and Visa Inc. chief executive Alfred F Kelly Jr.

Best CEOs In The World Of 2022

Rank Chief Executive Officer Company Country

1 Tim Cook Apple US

2 Satya Nadella Microsoft US

3 Sundar Pichai Alphabet (Google) US

4 Andy Jassy Amazon US

5 Elon Musk Tesla US

6 Mark Zuckerberg Meta (Facebook) US

7 Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway US

8 Dr. C.C. Wei TSMC Taiwan

9 Jensen Huang Nvidia US

10 Alfred F Kelly Jr Visa Inc. US

11 Jamie Dimon JPMorgan Chase US

12 Alex Gorsky Johnson & Johnson US

13 Doug McMillon Walmart US

14 Bernard Arnault LVMH France

15 Brian Moynihan Bank of America US

16 Ulf Mark Schneider Nestle Switzerland

17 Michael Miebach Mastercard US

18 David S. Taylor Procter & Gamble US

Rank Chief Executive Officer Company Country

19 Andrew Witty UnitedHealth Group US

20 Amin H. Nasser Saudi Aramco Saudi Arabia

21 Ma Huateng Tencent China

22 Craig Menear Home Depot US

23 Daniel Zhang Alibaba China

24 Severin Schwan Roche Switzerland

25 Darren Woods Exxon Mobil US

26 Albert Bourla Pfizer US

27 Peter Wennink ASML Holding Netherlands

28 Akio Toyoda Toyota Japan

29 James Quincey Coca-Cola US

30 Bob Chapek Walt Disney US

31 Shantanu Narayen Adobe US

32 Michael Wirth Chevron Corporation US

33 Ramon Laguarta Pepsi US

34 Chuck Robbins Cisco Systems US

35 Richard A. Gonzalez AbbVie US

36 John Donahoe Nike US

Rank Chief Executive Officer Company Country

37 David A. Ricks Eli Lilly US

38 Brian L. Roberts Comcast Corporation US

39 Marc N. Casper Thermo Fisher Scientific US

40 Tan Hock Eng Broadcom US

41 Hans Vestberg Verizon Communications US

42 Nicolas Hieronimus Loreal France

43 Safra Catz Oracle US

44 Marc Benioff Salesforce US

45 Robert Ford Abbott Laboratories US

46 Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen Novo Nordisk Denmark

47 Walter Craig Jelinek Costco US

48 Mukesh Ambani Reliance India

49 Julie Sweet Accenture Ireland

50 Patrick P. Gelsinger Intel Corporation US

51 Charles W. Scharf Wells Fargo US

52 Robert M. Davis Merck US

53 Rainer M. Blair Danaher Corporation US

54 Cristiano Amon Qualcomm US

Rank Chief Executive Officer Company Country

55 Rajesh Gopinathan Tata Consultancy Services India

56 Vasant (Vas) Narasimhan Novartis Switzerland

57 Dan Schulman PayPal US

58 Christopher John Kempczinski McDonald US

59 John T. Stankey AT&T US

60 Ben van Beurden Shell Netherlands

61 Carol B. Tome United Parcel Service US

62 Pascal Soriot AstraZeneca UK

63 Bob van Dijk Prosus Netherlands

64 James P. Gorman Morgan Stanley US

65 Reed Hastings/Ted Sarandos Netflix US

66 Walter W Bettinger II Charles Schwab US

67 Mike Henry BHP Australia

68 Rich Templeton Texas Instruments US

69 David I. McKay Royal Bank of Canada Canada

70 Steve Angel Linde plc Ireland

71 James L Robo NextEra Energy US

72 Christian Klein SAP Germany

Rank Chief Executive Officer Company Country

73 Lance M. Fritz Union Pacific Railroad US

74 Marvin Ellison Lowes US

75 Jacek Olczak Philip Morris US

76 Axel Dumas Hermes France

77 Sasan K. Goodarzi Intuit US

78 Patrick Pouyanne TotalEnergies France

79 Bharat Masrani Toronto-Dominion Bank Canada

80 Geoffrey S. Martha Medtronic Ireland

81 Darius Adamczyk Honeywell US

82 Lisa Su Advanced Micro Devices US

83 Noel Paul Quinn HSBC Holdings UK

84 Kenichiro Yoshida Sony Group Japan

85 Alan Jope Unilever PLC UK

86 Giovanni Caforio Bristol Myers Squibb US

87 Karen S. Lynch CVS Health US

88 Michael Sievert T-Mobile US US

89 Pietro Beccari Dior France

90 Gregory J. Hayes Raytheon US

Rank Chief Executive Officer Company Country

91 Roland Busch Siemens Germany

92 Paul Hudson Sanofi France

93 Robert A. Bradway Amgen US

94 Sashidhar Jagdishan HDFC Bank India

95 Jane Fraser Citigroup US

96 Gary E. Dickerson Applied Materials US

97 Stephen Squeri American Express US

98 Herbert Diess Volkswagen Germany

99 Jakob Stausholm Rio Tinto UK

100 Dave Calhoun Boeing US

101 Larry Fink BlackRock US

102 Matt Comyn Commonwealth Bank Australia

103 Tobias Lutke Shopify Canada

104 Ivan Menezes Diageo UK

105 Jim Umpleby Caterpillar US

106 Arvind Krishna IBM US

107 Kevin Johnson Starbucks US

108 David M. Solomon Goldman Sachs US

Rank Chief Executive Officer Company Country

109 Michel Doukeris Anheuser-Busch InBe Belgium

110 Hamid Moghadam Prologis US

111 Tom Bartlett American Tower US

112 John C. May John Deere US

113 Emma Walmsley GlaxoSmithKline UK

114 Ryan Lance ConocoPhillips US

115 Fabrizio Freda Estee Lauder US

116 H. Lawrence Culp Jr. General Electric US

117 Brian Cornell Target US

118 Bill McDermott ServiceNow US

119 Shemara Wikramanayake Macquarie Australia

120 Tom Rutledge Charter Communications US

121 Jim Taiclet Lockheed Martin US

122 Oliver Bate Allianz Germany

123 Bernard Looney BP UK

124 Scott Charlton Transurban Australia

125 Douglas L. Peterson S&P Global US

126 Jack Bowles British American Tobacco UK

Rank Chief Executive Officer Company Country

127 Yousef Al-Benyan SABIC Saudi Arabia

128 Mike Roman 3M Company US

129 Salil Parekh Infosys India

130 Pablo Isla Inditex Spain

131 Gary S Guthart Intuitive Surgical US

132 Guillaume Faury Airbus Netherlands

133 Waleed A. Al-Mogbel Al Rajhi Bank Saudi Arabia

134 Jean-Pascal Tricoire Schneider Electric France

135 Kevin A. Lobo Stryker Corporation US

136 Kristin C. Peck Zoetis US

137 Thomas H. McInnerney Mondelez US

138 Brian Chesky Airbnb US

139 Belen Garijo Merck Group Germany

140 Sanjay Mehrotra Micron Technology US

141 Carlos A. Rodriguez Automatic Data Processing US

142 Billy Gifford Altria Group US

143 Anders Opedal Equinor Norway

144 Francois-Henri Pinault Kering France

Rank Chief Executive Officer Company Country

145 Alexey Miller PJSC Gazprom Russia

146 Paul Perreault CSL Limited Australia

147 Timotheus Hottges Deutsche Telekom Germany

148 Timothy Archer Lam Research US

149 Brian J. Porter Scotiabank Canada

150 Daniel O'Day Gilead Sciences US

151 William S. Demchak PNC Financial Services US

152 Jean-Laurent Bonnafe BNP Paribas France

153 Frank Slootman Snowflake US

154 Vincent Roche Analog Devices US

155 Faisal Omar al-Sakkaf Saudi National Bank Saudi Arabia

156 Bruce Flatt Brookfield Asset Management Canada

157 Evan G. Greenberg Chubb Limited Switzerland

158 Andrew Cecere U.S. Bancorp US

159 Francesco Milleri EssilorLuxottica France

160 Kelly S. King Truist Financial US

161 Ola Kallenius Daimler Germany

162 Joaquim Silva e Luna Petrobras Brazil

Rank Chief Executive Officer Company Country

163 Ernie Herrman TJX Companies US

164 Al Monaco Enbridge Canada

165 Jim Farley Ford Motor US

166 Benoit Potier Air Liquide France

167 Terrence A. Duffy CME Group US

168 Daniel S. Glaser Marsh McLennan US

169 Francesco Starace Enel Italy

170 Jay A. Brown Crown Castle US

171 Jerome Lambert Compagnie Richemont Switzerland

172 Lynn Good Duke Energy US

173 Masayoshi Son SoftBank Japan

174 David Cordani Cigna US

175 John G. Morikis Sherwin-Williams US

176 Stephen A. Schwarzman Blackstone Inc US

177 Mary Barra General Motors US

178 James M. Foote CSX Corporation US

179 Samuel N. Hazen HCA Healthcare US

180 Sandeep Bakhshi ICICI Bank India

Rank Chief Executive Officer Company Country

181 Ernest Scott Santi Illinois Tool Work US

182 Bernd Montag Siemens Healthineers Germany

183 Thomas Polen Becton, Dickinson and Company US

184 Thomas Buberl Axa S.A. France

185 Darryl White Bank of Montreal Canada

186 Mats Rahmstrom Atlas Copco Sweden

187 Sanjiv Mehta Hindustan Unilever India

188 Bjorn Rosengren ABB Switzerland

189 Jeffrey C. Sprecher Intercontinental Exchange US

190 Noel R. Wallace Colgate-Palmolive US

191 Jose Ignacio Sanchez Galan Iberdrola Spain

192 Dara Khosrowshahi Uber US

193 Gary Nagle Glencore Switzerland

194 Mario Greco Zurich Insurance Group Switzerland

195 Frank Bisignano Fiserv US

196 Oliver Zipse BMW Germany

197 Piyush Gupta DBS Bank Singapore

198 Leonard Schleifer Regeneron Pharmaceuticals US

 Rank Chief Executive Officer Company Country

199 Martin Brudermuller BASF SE Germany

200 Charles J. Meyers Equinix US

The World's Most Influential Chief Executives Of 2022

Methodology (The CEO Leaderboard): CEOWORLD magazine’s global ranking of the

best chief executives for 2022 measured more than 1,200 CEOs across 96 countries.
Taking a long view of business performance, the methodology is primarily based on the
financial returns for the CEO’s entire tenure, which makes up 60 per cent of the final
ranking, as opposed to stock price and the current quarter’s numbers.
To calculate the final position, the additional 40 per cent of a CEO’s ranking factors in a
company’s track record on environmental, governance, and social issues, as well as
market shares, change of market capitalization, and brand’s newsworthiness and impact.

What Are the Major World Stock Market Indexes?

  Global Stock Market Indexes
 Regional Stock Market Indexes
 National Stock Market Indexes
 Other Stock Market Indexes
 Invest in Stock Market Indexes
 The Bottom Line
 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
 
Updated December 01, 2021

Stock market indexes measure the value of a section of a country’s stock market via a
weighted average of selected stocks. These indexes help investors and analysts describe
the market and compare different investments. Many mutual funds and exchange-traded
funds (ETFs) attempt to track these indexes to provide investors with exposure to a given
market.

The three most common types of indexes include:

1. Global indexes
2. Regional indexes
3. National indexes

Learn more about global stock market indexes, regional stock market indexes, and
national stock market indexes around the world, as well as some important
considerations if you're an investor looking to gain exposure using these indexes.

Global Stock Market Indexes

Global stock market indexes track equities from all around the world. For example,
the MSCI World Index tracks large and mid-cap equities across 23 developed countries
covering approximately 85% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each
country.1

It’s worth noting that global stock market indexes weighted by market
capitalization don’t offer exposure to emerging markets or frontier markets, since they’re
too small for inclusion.

Along with the MSCI, some of the most popular global stock market indexes include:
  FTSE All-World Index
 S&P Global 100 Index
 S&P Global 1200 Index
 Dow Jones Global Titans 50

Regional Stock Market Indexes

Regional stock market indexes track equities from specific regions around the world. For
instance, these indexes may cover Asian, European, or Latin American equities. They
help investors and analysts compare the performance of specific countries to a general
region to highlight what assets are over- and under-performing. The funds tied to these
indexes may also be helpful in building exposure to specific regions of the world.

Some of the most popular regional stock market indexes are listed below.

Asia

 S&P Asia 50 Index

 Dow Jones Asian Titans 50 Index
 FTSE ASEAN 40 Index

Europe

 Euro STOXX 50 Index

 FTSE Euro 100 Index 
 S&P Europe 350 Index

Latin America

 S&P Latin America 40 Index

National Stock Market Indexes

National stock market indexes provide exposure to individual countries. In some cases,
the equities in these indexes will consist entirely of large-cap stocks, similar to the Dow
Jones Industrial Average in the U.S. In other cases, the equities may be considered small-
cap since the country may not have many large companies. This is often the case in
emerging market and frontier market economies.

Here are some of the top global and national stock market indexes.
China

 SSE Composite Index

 SZSE Component Index
 CSI 300 Index

Japan

 Nikkei 225 Index

 TOPIX Index
 JPX-Nikkei Index 400

Germany

 DAX Performance Index

 TecDAX Index
 MDAX Index

United Kingdom

 FTSE 100 Index

 FTSE All-Share Index
 FTSE techMark 100 Index

France

 CAC 40 Index
 CAC Next 20 Index
 CAC Mid 60 Index

India

 BSE SENSEX Index

 NSE of India Index
 Multi Commodity Exchange of India Index

Italy

 FTSE MIB Index

 FTSE Italia Mid Cap Index
 FTSE MIB Index
Brazil

 BOVESPA Index
 IBrX 100 Index
 ITEL Index

Canada

 S&P/TSX 60 Index
 S&P/TSX Composite Index
 S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index

South Korea

 KOSPI Index
 KOSDAQ Index

Other Stock Market Indexes

There are many other types of specialized stock market indexes for certain
demographics. For example, the Dow Jones Islamic Market World and S&P 500 Shariah
indexes are geared toward investors adhering to Islamic laws, while other indexes cater
toward goals like Environmental-Social-Government (or ESG) investments.

Investors may want to consider these types of indexes, which may also provide exposure
to global stocks with certain restraints.

Some popular alternative stock market indexes include:

 S&P Global BMI Shariah Index

 STOXX Global ESG Leaders Index

Invest in Stock Market Indexes

Investors can build exposure to these stock market indexes into their portfolios using
mutual funds or exchange-traded funds that track the underlying index. For example,
the iShares MSCI World ETF (URTH) tracks the popular MSCI World Index and
provides exposure to global stock markets.
When evaluating mutual funds and ETFs, investors should consider a variety of different
factors, including the fund's expense ratio, diversification, and other factors.

The Bottom Line

Global stock market indexes help investors and analysts describe the market and
compare different investments. There are three types of stock market indexes, including
global stock market indexes, regional stock market indexes, and national stock market
indexes. Investors can leverage these indexes to gain exposure to international stock
markets using mutual funds or exchange-traded funds tied to these indexes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can following stock market indexes be helpful?

Indexes give you an idea of how a particular segment of the market is performing. By
watching indexes, you can assess trends and volatility in different sectors.

Individual securities won't necessarily track right with the index, but if they're included
in it, there will likely be some level of correlation. If you invest in an index fund, your
fund should be much more correlated with the benchmark index.

How do you read a stock market index?

Each index is measured by its "base value," the weighted average of the stocks in that
particular index. The value itself isn't as important as how much it changes over time.
Comparing indexes and stocks on a trading chart can help you measure these
movements and study trends.