What Is the Nasdaq?

Key Takeaways:

• The Nasdaq Stock Exchange was founded in 1971 as the world's first fully electronic stock market
• The Nasdaq Composite is a market-cap-weighted index tracking more than 3,500 companies, heavily weighted toward technology
• The Nasdaq 100 tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies on the Nasdaq exchange and undergoes a formal annual re-ranking each December
• Unlike the S&P 500, the Nasdaq Composite includes both domestic and international companies listed on the exchange
• Several crypto-related companies, including Coinbase and MicroStrategy, are listed on the Nasdaq exchange
• Most references to "the Nasdaq" in financial media refer to the Nasdaq Composite index, not the exchange itself

The Nasdaq pulls double duty in financial markets. One name, two completely different things.

As a stock exchange, it provides the infrastructure through which thousands of companies list and trade their shares. As a market index, it benchmarks the technology sector. Most references to "the Nasdaq" in financial media mean the index, specifically the Nasdaq Composite, rather than the exchange itself. That distinction is the starting point for understanding what the Nasdaq actually measures.

What Is the Nasdaq Stock Exchange?

The Nasdaq exchange was founded in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), the organisation now known as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Its name was originally an acronym for National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations.

When it launched on February 8, 1971, Nasdaq became the world's first fully electronic stock market, replacing in-person trading floors with a computer-based system that matched buyers and sellers automatically. Faster, more transparent, and more accessible than anything that came before it.

Today, Nasdaq is the second-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalisation, behind only the New York Stock Exchange. It operates as a dealer market, meaning trades execute through a network of market makers rather than through a centralised auction system. Because of its technology roots and relatively accessible listing requirements, Nasdaq attracted a disproportionate number of technology companies from the beginning. That association has never really changed.

What Is the Nasdaq Composite?

The Nasdaq Composite is a market-capitalisation-weighted index that tracks the performance of virtually all companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange. More than 3,500 companies are included across a wide range of sectors, though technology accounts for a significant share of total weighting.

Larger companies have a proportionally greater influence on the index's movements because of the market-cap weighting. A substantial price move in a large-cap technology name can shift the entire Nasdaq Composite, which makes it more volatile than broader indexes like the S&P 500.

ETFs and preferred stocks are excluded. Only common stocks of individual companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange qualify for inclusion. (Source: Nasdaq.com)

When financial media refer to how "the Nasdaq" performed on a given day, they are almost always talking about the Composite.

What Is the Nasdaq 100?

The Nasdaq 100 tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange, weighted by market capitalisation. Banks and insurance firms are excluded, making it a more concentrated measure of large-cap technology and growth companies.

That concentration means the Nasdaq 100 is more sensitive to movements in the biggest technology names than the Composite is. It serves as the basis for widely traded financial products, including index funds and futures contracts.

Unlike the Nasdaq Composite, which updates continuously, the Nasdaq 100 undergoes a formal annual re-ranking each December to ensure the largest non-financial companies are accurately represented. (Source: Nasdaq.com)

What Makes the Nasdaq Different?

Technology concentration. The Composite's heavy weighting toward the technology sector means it behaves differently from broader indexes. It tends to be more volatile and more sensitive to factors that specifically affect technology companies, such as interest rate changes, which disproportionately compress the valuations of high-growth businesses.

That volatility has historical precedent. During the dot-com crash of 2000 to 2002, the Nasdaq Composite fell approximately 78%, far steeper than the broader market experienced, reflecting how heavily the index had concentrated in technology companies whose valuations had disconnected from earnings.

Electronic structure. Unlike the NYSE, which maintains a physical trading floor, Nasdaq has always operated as a fully electronic market. Trades execute through competing market makers rather than a single specialist system.

Global and domestic companies. The S&P 500 limits itself to U.S.-headquartered companies. The Nasdaq Composite includes both domestic and international companies listed on the exchange.

Nasdaq vs. S&P 500 vs. Dow Jones

The Nasdaq Composite is one of three indexes most commonly cited as a measure of U.S. stock market performance. Its distinguishing characteristics become clearer when compared directly to the other two.

The S&P 500 is generally considered the most representative measure of the overall U.S. equity market because of its broader sector coverage and focus on large, established domestic companies.

The Nasdaq Composite, by contrast, provides a more concentrated view of the technology sector and growth-oriented companies.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average tracks only 30 companies and uses a price-weighted methodology, making it the narrowest of the three.

The Nasdaq and Crypto Investors

Several crypto-related companies are listed on the Nasdaq exchange, including Coinbase (COIN) and MicroStrategy (MSTR). For crypto-native investors, the Nasdaq is relevant because movements in these listed companies can reflect broader sentiment toward digital assets. The Nasdaq 100's heavy technology weighting also means it often moves in correlation with risk assets, including crypto, during periods of market stress.

The Bottom Line

The Nasdaq refers to both a stock exchange and a family of market indexes. Founded in 1971 as the world's first fully electronic stock market, it became the primary listing venue for technology companies. The Nasdaq Composite tracks more than 3,500 companies and serves as the primary benchmark for technology sector performance. The Nasdaq 100 tracks the 100 largest non-financial Nasdaq-listed companies and undergoes a formal annual re-ranking each December.