Here are some facts and figures about the S&P 500:
- According to Global Financial Data, the S&P only contained 90 stocks when it was created in 1928.
- It became the S&P 500 in 1957. At the time, the index was comprised of 425 industrial stocks, 60 utilities and 15 railroads.
- Financials and transportation stocks weren’t added until 1976.
- In the late-1980s, the index was finally revamped to account for the more modern U.S. economy.
- Today, the market cap of the S&P 500 is rapidly approaching $50 trillion.
- The top 10 stocks alone are worth nearly $17 trillion or more than 35% of the total.
- The top 25 stocks account for 48% of the market cap.
- Six stocks are worth more than $1 trillion: Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Google, Amazon, and Facebook (these six companies are 29% of the index).
- The tech sector makes up roughly one-third of the index but is likely bigger than that when you…