S&P 500
About S&P 500
The Standard and Poors 500 Index was introduced in 1957, tracking 500 large US companies. It became the benchmark for the US stock market and the basis for trillions of dollars in investments. The index covers about 80 percent of US market capitalization. The first S&P 500 index fund was launched by John Bogle at Vanguard in 1976, creating the passive investing revolution. The S&P 500 reached 1,000 in 1998, 2,000 in 2013, 3,000 in 2019, and 5,000 in 2024. It is the most widely followed equity index in the world.
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