In 2025, stock markets in the United States accounted for roughly ** percent of world stocks. The next largest country by stock market share was China, followed by the European Union as a whole. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ are the largest stock exchange operators worldwide. What is a stock exchange? The first modern publicly traded company was the Dutch East Industry Company, which sold shares to the general public to fund expeditions to Asia. Since then, groups of companies have formed exchanges in which brokers and dealers can come together and make transactions in one space. Stock market indices group companies trading on a given exchange, giving an idea of how they evolve in real time. Appeal of stock ownership Over half of adults in the United States are investing money in the stock market. Stocks are an attractive investment because the possible return is higher than offered by other financial instruments.

Prices for Global Equity Index including live quotes, historical charts and news. Global Equity Index was last updated by Trading Economics this December 2 of 2025.

The main stock market index of United States, the US500, rose to 6818 points on December 2, 2025, gaining 0.08% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has declined 0.50%, though it remains 12.70% higher than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from United States. United States Stock Market Index - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on December of 2025.

New York Stock Exchange: Index: Dow Jones US Large Cap Total Stock Market Index data was reported at 12,988.120 NA in Apr 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 13,072.870 NA for Mar 2025. New York Stock Exchange: Index: Dow Jones US Large Cap Total Stock Market Index data is updated monthly, averaging 6,845.950 NA from Aug 2013 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 141 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14,146.240 NA in Jan 2025 and a record low of 3,846.950 NA in Aug 2013. New York Stock Exchange: Index: Dow Jones US Large Cap Total Stock Market Index data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Exchange Data International Limited. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.EDI.SE: New York Stock Exchange: Dow Jones: Monthly.

The statistic shows the development of the MSCI World USD Index from 1986 to 2024. The 2024 year-end value of the MSCI World USD index amounted to ******** points. MSCI World USD index – additional information The MSCI World Index, developed by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), is one of the most important stock indices. It includes stocks from developed countries all over the world and is regarded as benchmark of global stock market. According to MSCI, this index covers about ** percent of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each country. As seen on the statistics above, in 2024, MSCI World USD index reported its highest value since 1986 amounting, a threefold increase from the figure recorded in 2013, when the year-end value of the MSCI World index was equal to ********. Along with the S&P Global Broad Market, the MSCI World is one of the most important global stock market performance indexes. Aside of including markets around the globe, these two indexes are global in a sense that they disregard where the companies are domiciled or traded, whereas other important indexes such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Japanese index Nikkei 225, Wilshire 5000, the NASDAQ 100 index, have different approaches.

The value of the DJIA index amounted to ****** at the end of June 2025, up from ********* at the end of March 2020. Global panic about the coronavirus epidemic caused the drop in March 2020, which was the worst drop since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Dow Jones Industrial Average index – additional information The Dow Jones Industrial Average index is a price-weighted average of 30 of the largest American publicly traded companies on New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, and includes companies like Goldman Sachs, IBM and Walt Disney. This index is considered to be a barometer of the state of the American economy. DJIA index was created in 1986 by Charles Dow. Along with the NASDAQ 100 and S&P 500 indices, it is amongst the most well-known and used stock indexes in the world. The year that the 2018 financial crisis unfolded was one of the worst years of the Dow. It was also in 2008 that some of the largest ever recorded losses of the Dow Jones Index based on single-day points were registered. On September 29, 2008, for instance, the Dow had a loss of ****** points, one of the largest single-day losses of all times. The best years in the history of the index still are 1915, when the index value increased by ***** percent in one year, and 1933, year when the index registered a growth of ***** percent.

Key information about India Sensitive 30 (Sensex)

• India Sensitive 30 (Sensex) closed at 85,706.7 points in Nov 2025, compared with 83,938.7 points at the previous month end
• India Equity Market Index: Month End: BSE: Sensitive 30 (Sensex) data is updated monthly, available from Apr 1979 to Nov 2025, with an average number of 2,987.7 points
• The data reached an all-time high of 85,706.7 points in Nov 2025 and a record low of 115.6 points in Nov 1979

• In the latest reports, SENSEX recorded a daily P/E ratio of 23.2 in Dec 2025

Japan's main stock market index, the JP225, rose to 49553 points on December 2, 2025, gaining 0.51% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has declined 3.78%, though it remains 26.25% higher than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Japan. Japan Stock Market Index (JP225) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on December of 2025.

China's main stock market index, the SHANGHAI, fell to 3898 points on December 2, 2025, losing 0.42% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has declined 1.98%, though it remains 15.36% higher than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from China. China Shanghai Composite Stock Market Index - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on December of 2025.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) index dropped around ***** points in the four weeks from February 12 to March 11, 2020, but has since recovered and peaked at ********* points as of November 24, 2024. In February 2020 - just prior to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the DJIA index stood at a little over ****** points. U.S. markets suffer as virus spreads The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a turbulent period for stock markets – the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also recorded dramatic drops. At the start of February, some analysts remained optimistic that the outbreak would ease. However, the increased spread of the virus started to hit investor confidence, prompting a record plunge in the stock markets. The Dow dropped by more than ***** points in the week from February 21 to February 28, which was a fall of **** percent – its worst percentage loss in a week since October 2008. Stock markets offer valuable economic insights The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a stock market index that monitors the share prices of the 30 largest companies in the United States. By studying the performance of the listed companies, analysts can gauge the strength of the domestic economy. If investors are confident in a company’s future, they will buy its stocks. The uncertainty of the coronavirus sparked fears of an economic crisis, and many traders decided that investment during the pandemic was too risky.

While the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caused all major stock market indices to fall sharply in March 2020, both the extent of the decline at this time, and the shape of the subsequent recovery, have varied greatly. For example, on March 15, 2020, major European markets and traditional stocks in the United States had shed around ** percent of their value compared to January *, 2020. However, Asian markets and the NASDAQ Composite Index only shed around ** to ** percent of their value. A similar story can be seen with the post-coronavirus recovery. As of November 14, 2021 the NASDAQ composite index value was around ** percent higher than in January 2020, while most other markets were only between ** and ** percent higher. Why did the NASDAQ recover the quickest? Based in New York City, the NASDAQ is famously considered a proxy for the technology industry as many of the world’s largest technology industries choose to list there. And it just so happens that technology was the sector to perform the best during the coronavirus pandemic. Accordingly, many of the largest companies who benefitted the most from the pandemic such as Amazon, PayPal and Netflix, are listed on the NADSAQ, helping it to recover the fastest of the major stock exchanges worldwide. Which markets suffered the most? The energy sector was the worst hit by the global COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, oil companies share prices suffered large declines over 2020 as demand for oil plummeted while workers found themselves no longer needing to commute, and the tourism industry ground to a halt. In addition, overall share prices in two major stock exchanges – the London Stock Exchange (as represented by the FTSE 100 index) and Hong Kong (as represented by the Hang Seng index) – have notably recovered slower than other major exchanges. However, in both these, the underlying issue behind the slower recovery likely has more to do with political events unrelated to the coronavirus than it does with the pandemic – namely Brexit and general political unrest, respectively.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the largest stock exchange in the world, with an equity market capitalization of almost ** trillion U.S. dollars as of November 2025. The following largest three exchanges were the NASDAQ, PINK Exchange, and the Frankfurt Exchange. What is a stock exchange? A stock exchange is a marketplace where stockbrokers, traders, buyers, and sellers can trade in equities products. The largest exchanges have thousands of listed companies. These companies sell shares of their business, giving the general public the opportunity to invest in them. The oldest stock exchange worldwide is the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, founded in the late sixteenth century. Other functions of a stock exchange Since these are publicly traded companies, every firm listed on a stock exchange has had an initial public offering (IPO). The largest IPOs can raise billions of dollars in equity for the firm involved. Related to stock exchanges are derivatives exchanges, where stock options, futures contracts, and other derivatives can be traded.

Key information about Uzbekistan Uzbekistan Composite Index

• Uzbekistan Uzbekistan Composite Index closed at 707.8 points in Oct 2025, compared with 701.0 points at the previous month end
• Uzbekistan Equity Market Index: Month End: Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan Composite Index data is updated monthly, available from Aug 2016 to Oct 2025, with an average number of 793.3 points
• The data reached an all-time high of 1,443.5 points in Feb 2021 and a record low of 329.8 points in Jan 2019

New York Stock Exchange: Index: Dow Jones US Large Cap Technology Index data was reported at 6,045.360 NA in Apr 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 6,005.530 NA for Mar 2025. New York Stock Exchange: Index: Dow Jones US Large Cap Technology Index data is updated monthly, averaging 6,432.785 NA from Mar 2024 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6,918.630 NA in Dec 2024 and a record low of 5,424.010 NA in Apr 2024. New York Stock Exchange: Index: Dow Jones US Large Cap Technology Index data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Exchange Data International Limited. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.EDI.SE: New York Stock Exchange: Dow Jones: Monthly.

Russia's main stock market index, the MOEX, fell to 2681 points on December 2, 2025, losing 0.20% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 4.30% and is up 5.58% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Russia. Russia Stock Market Index MOEX CFD - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on December of 2025.

United Kingdom's main stock market index, the GB100, fell to 9690 points on December 2, 2025, losing 0.13% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has declined 0.12%, though it remains 15.91% higher than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from United Kingdom. United Kingdom Stock Market Index (GB100) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on December of 2025.

The average for 2022 based on 75 countries was 1225.97 billion U.S. dollars. The highest value was in the USA: 40297.98 billion U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Bermuda: 0.21 billion U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1975 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

View data of the S&P 500, an index of the stocks of 500 leading companies in the US economy, which provides a gauge of the U.S. equity market.

The average for 2021 based on 87 countries was 32.21 percent. The highest value was in Venezuela: 991.39 percent and the lowest value was in Botswana: -6.38 percent. The indicator is available from 1984 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Key information about Argentina S&P MERVAL

• Argentina S&P MERVAL closed at 2,205,800.5 points in Feb 2025, compared with 2,564,659.0 points at the previous month end
• Argentina Equity Market Index: Month End: BCBA: S&P MERVAL data is updated monthly, available from Jun 1986 to Feb 2025, with an average number of 1,375.4 points
• The data reached an all-time high of 2,564,659.0 points in Jan 2025 and a record low of 0.0 points in Nov 1986