The OMXS 30 opened the day without major changes, with a variation of 0.16% to 2,112.23 points at the open on Tuesday 13 December. Compared to previous days, the OMXS 30 reversed the previous session’s result, in which it experienced a decrease of 1.17%, without being able to establish a stable trend in recent days.
In reference to last week’s performance, the OMXS 30 recorded an increase of 0.04%; although in year-on-year terms it still accumulated a decline of 7.62%. The OMXS 30 is 14% below its year-to-date high (2,456.17 points) and 17.71% above its year-to-date low (1,794.39 points).
OMX Stockholm 30 opens this 13 December
What is a stock market index and what is it use for?
A stock market index is an indicator that shows how the price of a given set of assets is changing by collecting data from several companies or sectors in one part of the market.
These indicators are mainly use by national stock exchanges and each of them can be compose of companies. With specific requirements such as having a similar market capitalisation or belonging to the same type of industry. There are some indices that only take into account a handful of shares to determine their value or others that consider hundreds of shares.
OMX Stockholm 30 opens this 13 December
Stock indices serve as an indicator of stock market sentiment, business confidence, the health of the national and global economy, and the performance of a company’s equity investments. Generally, if investors lack confidence, stock prices would tend to fall.
They also function as a measure of an asset manager’s performance and allow investors to compare return and risk; to gauge the opportunities of a financial asset or to build portfolios.
Such indicators came into use in the late 19th century after the journalist Charles H. Dow took a close look at how company stocks tended to rise and fall together in price. So he create two indices: one containing the 20 most important railroad companies. The most important industry at the time), as well as 12 stocks of other types of business.
How is a stock market index measure?
Each stock index has its own way of being measure. But the main component is the market capitalisation of each constituent company. This is derived by multiplying the day’s value of the stock. On the relevant exchange by the total number of holdings in the market.
Listed firms are obliged to present a balance sheet of their composition. Such a report must made public every three or six months, as the case may be.
