A market capitalization-weighted index of 500 widely held stocks often used as a proxy for the stock market. It measures the movement of the largest issues. Standard and Poor's chooses the member companies for the 500 based on market size, liquidity and industry group representation. Included are the stocks of industrial, financial, utility, and transportation companies. Since mid 1989, this composition has been more flexible and the number of issues in each sector has varied. The returns presented in Morningstar Office for the S&P 500 are total returns, including the reinvestment of dividends each month. Visit www.spglobal.com for more information.
Note: We assume reinvestment of dividends on the last day of the month rather than everyday during the month. This may account for differences between the index returns published in Morningstar Office and the index returns published elsewhere.