A global sector benchmark that tracks large‑ and mid‑cap companies whose revenues stem primarily from non‑essential goods and services—such as automobiles, apparel, e‑commerce and entertainment—thereby giving investors a focused lens on consumer‑spending trends beyond day‑to‑day necessities. 1. Snapshot (May 2025) Metric…
Products purchased by end‑users for personal or household use—ranging from everyday groceries to durable appliances and discretionary luxuries—thereby forming a central pillar of global economic activity. 1. The Basic Categories First and foremost, consumer goods split into three broad buckets:…
Benchmarks that slice broad markets into industry‑specific or idea‑driven baskets—allowing investors to target exposure to, say, semiconductors, renewable energy, or cybersecurity rather than owning every stock in a parent index. 1. Two Flavors—Similar DNA First, sector indices group companies by…
A numerical indicator that aggregates price or value data from a defined set of securities, assets, or economic variables—thereby transforming many moving parts into one easy‑to‑track figure. 1. Why Indices Exist To begin with, markets are awash with individual prices.…
A strategy that buys and holds a basket of securities designed to replicate a market index—thereby matching, rather than beating, the benchmark’s performance. 1. The Core Idea Instead of selecting individual “winners,” index investors purchase every constituent in a target…
Financial indices convert thousands of live prices into a single, continuously updated number. Understanding the math behind that headline figure clarifies why two benchmarks tracking the same market can behave so differently. 1. Start With a Universe First, an index…