World stock indices are benchmark indicators that track the performance of a selected group of stocks on an exchange — making them essential tools for investors and a consistently tested topic in competitive exam finance and economy sections.
From India's SENSEX and NIFTY 50 to the USA's Dow Jones and S&P 500, from Japan's Nikkei to the UK's FTSE 100, these indices appear in UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL, Banking (IBPS/SBI/RBI), and State PSC exams under General Awareness and Economy. This page gives you a complete, country-wise list of all major world stock indices with exchange name, number of stocks, and exam-ready facts for 2026.
⚡ Quick Facts
- The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalisation — followed by NASDAQ, then the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
- India's BSE SENSEX is composed of 30 blue-chip stocks listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) — Asia's oldest stock exchange, founded in 1875.
- The S&P 500 tracks 500 large-cap companies and is considered the most representative benchmark of the American economy's health.
- The MSCI World Index tracks large and mid-cap stocks from 23 developed countries — widely used by global institutional investors as a performance benchmark.
- India's NSE is the world's largest derivatives exchange by the number of contracts traded — it runs the NIFTY 50 index.
Do not confuse SENSEX (BSE, 30 stocks) with NIFTY 50 (NSE, 50 stocks) — the most frequent error in Banking GA papers. Also: Dow Jones and Nikkei 225 are price-weighted; S&P 500, SENSEX, and NIFTY are free-float market-cap weighted. And: NYSE = largest by market cap; NSE (India) = largest derivatives exchange — two entirely different records.
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🗺️ Complete List of World Stock Indices
| # ↕ | Country ↕ | Index ↕ | Exchange | Stocks ↕ | Key Exam Fact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇮🇳 India | SENSEX (BSE SENSEX) | Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) | 30 | Asia's oldest exchange (1875); full form: Sensitive Index; base year 1978–79, base value 100 |
| 2 | 🇮🇳 India | NIFTY 50 | National Stock Exchange (NSE) | 50 | NSE = world's largest derivatives exchange; NIFTY = National Index Fifty; base value 1,000 (Nov 1995) |
| 3 | 🇮🇳 India | NIFTY BANK (BankNIFTY) | NSE | 12 | Tracks 12 most liquid banking stocks on NSE; widely traded sectoral index |
| 4 | 🇮🇳 India | BSE 500 | BSE | 500 | Broader market index; tracks top 500 companies listed on BSE |
| 5 | 🇮🇳 India | NIFTY 500 | NSE | 500 | Broader NSE index covering ~95% of total market capitalisation |
| 6 | 🇺🇸 USA | Dow Jones (DJIA) | NYSE | 30 | Oldest US index (1896); price-weighted; 30 large blue-chip US companies |
| 7 | 🇺🇸 USA | S&P 500 | NYSE + NASDAQ | 500 | Most widely tracked US index; market-cap weighted; represents ~80% of US market cap |
| 8 | 🇺🇸 USA | NASDAQ Composite | NASDAQ | 3,000+ | Tech-heavy; includes Apple, Microsoft, Google, Meta, Amazon; world's first electronic exchange (1971) |
| 9 | 🇺🇸 USA | NASDAQ 100 | NASDAQ | 100 | Top 100 non-financial companies on NASDAQ; tech-focused benchmark |
| 10 | 🇺🇸 USA | Russell 2000 | NYSE | 2,000 | Tracks 2,000 small-cap US companies; key small-cap benchmark |
| 11 | 🇬🇧 UK | FTSE 100 | London Stock Exchange (LSE) | 100 | "Footsie"; 100 largest companies by market cap on LSE |
| 12 | 🇬🇧 UK | FTSE 250 | LSE | 250 | Mid-cap UK companies; next 250 companies after FTSE 100 |
| 13 | 🇩🇪 Germany | DAX (Deutscher Aktienindex) | Frankfurt Stock Exchange | 40 | Germany's blue-chip index; expanded from 30 to 40 stocks in 2021 |
| 14 | 🇫🇷 France | CAC 40 | Euronext Paris | 40 | France's benchmark; CAC = Cotation Assistée en Continu; 40 largest French companies |
| 15 | 🇯🇵 Japan | Nikkei 225 | Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) | 225 | Japan's most prominent index; price-weighted like Dow Jones |
| 16 | 🇯🇵 Japan | TOPIX | Tokyo Stock Exchange | ~2,200 | Broader Japanese index; tracks all First Section companies on TSE |
| 17 | 🇨🇳 China | Shanghai Composite (SHCOMP) | Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) | All listed | Tracks all stocks on Shanghai SE; includes A-shares and B-shares |
| 18 | 🇨🇳 China | CSI 300 | SSE + SZSE (Shenzhen) | 300 | Tracks 300 largest stocks on Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges combined |
| 19 | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | Hang Seng | Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) | 82 | HK's premier index; proxy for Chinese market sentiment; many major Chinese companies listed here |
| 20 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | KOSPI | Korea Exchange (KRX) | All listed | South Korea's main index; Samsung Electronics is largest component |
| 21 | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | TAIEX | Taiwan Stock Exchange | All listed | Taiwan's benchmark; dominated by TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) |
| 22 | 🇦🇺 Australia | ASX 200 (S&P/ASX 200) | Australian Securities Exchange | 200 | Australia's benchmark index; 200 largest companies by market cap |
| 23 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | STI (Straits Times Index) | Singapore Exchange (SGX) | 30 | Singapore's benchmark; 30 representative Singapore-listed companies |
| 24 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | JCI (Jakarta Composite Index) | Indonesia Stock Exchange | All listed | Indonesia's composite market index |
| 25 | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | KLCI (FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI) | Bursa Malaysia | 30 | Malaysia's benchmark; 30 largest Bursa Malaysia companies |
| 26 | 🇹🇭 Thailand | SET Index | Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) | All listed | Thailand's composite stock market index |
| 27 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | IBOVESPA | B3 (Brasil Bolsa Balcão) | ~80 | Brazil's main stock index; largest in Latin America |
| 28 | 🇨🇦 Canada | S&P/TSX Composite | Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) | ~200 | Canada's benchmark; energy, financials, and mining-heavy composition |
| 29 | 🇷🇺 Russia | MOEX Russia Index | Moscow Exchange (MOEX) | 50 | Russia's main index; previously called MICEX; ruble-denominated |
| 30 | 🇿🇦 South Africa | JSE All Share | Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) | All listed | Africa's largest stock exchange; gold and mining-focused |
| 31 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | TASI (Tadawul All Share Index) | Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) | All listed | Middle East's largest exchange; Aramco (world's largest company by market cap) listed here |
| 32 | 🇦🇪 UAE (Dubai) | DFM General Index | Dubai Financial Market (DFM) | All listed | Dubai's main stock market index |
| 33 | 🇦🇪 UAE (Abu Dhabi) | ADX General Index | Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) | All listed | Abu Dhabi's main stock index |
| 34 | 🇮🇱 Israel | TA-35 | Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) | 35 | Israel's benchmark; top 35 companies on TASE |
| 35 | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | KSE-100 | Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) | 100 | Pakistan's benchmark index; Karachi Stock Exchange heritage |
| 36 | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | CSE All Share | Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) | All listed | Sri Lanka's composite market index |
| 37 | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | DSEX | Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) | All listed | Bangladesh's main stock index |
| 38 | 🇳🇵 Nepal | NEPSE Index | Nepal Stock Exchange | All listed | Nepal's stock market benchmark |
| 39 | 🇪🇺 Euro Area | EURO STOXX 50 | Pan-European | 50 | Tracks 50 largest blue-chip companies across Eurozone countries |
| 40 | 🌐 Global | MSCI World Index | MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital International) | 1,500+ | Tracks stocks from 23 developed countries; major global benchmark for institutional investors |
| 41 | 🌐 Global | MSCI Emerging Markets | MSCI | 1,400+ | 24 emerging market countries incl. India, China, Brazil; MSCI rebalancing triggers FPI flows into India |
| 42 | 🌐 Global | FTSE All-World | FTSE Russell | 4,000+ | Covers 90%+ of the investable global market |
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) | Founded 1875; Asia's oldest stock exchange; Dalal Street, Mumbai; index = SENSEX (30 stocks) |
| NSE (National Stock Exchange) | Founded 1992; world's largest derivatives exchange; Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai; index = NIFTY 50 (50 stocks) |
| SENSEX Full Form | Sensitive Index; 30 blue-chip stocks; base year 1978–79; base value 100; free-float market cap weighted |
| NIFTY Full Form | National Index Fifty; 50 stocks; base year November 3, 1995; base value 1,000 |
| SEBI | Securities and Exchange Board of India; regulates both BSE and NSE; established 1988 (statutory 1992); Mumbai |
| Market Capitalisation | Total market value of all listed company shares; India's market cap crossed $4 trillion (2024) |
| Dalal Street | Street in South Mumbai where BSE is located; India's equivalent of Wall Street |
| Circuit Breaker | Market-wide halt triggered when SENSEX/NIFTY falls 10%, 15%, or 20% in a single session |
| Bull Market | Market characterised by rising prices; investor confidence high; opposite of Bear Market |
| Bear Market | Market characterised by falling prices (20%+ decline from peak); pessimism prevails |
| IPO | Initial Public Offering; when a private company first offers shares to the public and gets listed |
| FPO | Follow-on Public Offer; when an already-listed company issues additional shares to the public |
| Demat Account | Dematerialised account that holds shares and securities in electronic form; mandatory for trading in India |
| Rolling Settlement (T+1) | T+1 settlement cycle in India (since 2023); trades settled the next business day |
| # ↕ | Stock Exchange | Country | Approx. Market Cap (USD, 2024) | Key Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) | USA | ~$27–28 trillion | S&P 500, Dow Jones |
| 2 | NASDAQ | USA | ~$25 trillion | NASDAQ 100, NASDAQ Composite |
| 3 | Shanghai Stock Exchange | China | ~$7–8 trillion | Shanghai Composite, CSI 300 |
| 4 | Euronext | Europe (Pan-European) | ~$7 trillion | CAC 40 (France), AEX (Netherlands) |
| 5 | Tokyo Stock Exchange | Japan | ~$6–7 trillion | Nikkei 225, TOPIX |
| 6 | London Stock Exchange | UK | ~$4 trillion | FTSE 100 |
| 7 | Shenzhen Stock Exchange | China | ~$4 trillion | SZSE Component |
| 8 | BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) | India | ~$4 trillion (2024) | SENSEX |
| 9 | NSE (National Stock Exchange) | India | ~$4 trillion (2024) | NIFTY 50 |
| 10 | Hong Kong Stock Exchange | Hong Kong | ~$3.5 trillion | Hang Seng |
| 11 | Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) | Saudi Arabia | ~$3 trillion | TASI |
| 12 | Toronto Stock Exchange | Canada | ~$3 trillion | S&P/TSX Composite |
| 13 | Frankfurt Stock Exchange | Germany | ~$2.5 trillion | DAX 40 |
| 14 | Korea Exchange | South Korea | ~$2 trillion | KOSPI |
| 15 | Johannesburg Stock Exchange | South Africa | ~$1.5 trillion | JSE All Share |
| Index Type | Definition | Example | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price-Weighted | Stock price determines each component's weight; higher-priced stocks have more influence | Dow Jones (DJIA), Nikkei 225 | Simple but biased toward high-priced stocks |
| Market Cap-Weighted | Market capitalisation (share price × shares outstanding) determines weight | S&P 500, NIFTY 50, SENSEX | Most common method; large companies dominate |
| Free-Float Market Cap | Only publicly traded shares (not promoter holdings) used for market cap calculation | SENSEX (since 2003), NIFTY 50 | More representative of actual tradable market |
| Equal-Weighted | All stocks given equal weight regardless of price or market cap | Some alternative indices | Gives small-cap stocks same influence as large-cap |
| Sectoral Index | Tracks stocks of a specific industry sector | NIFTY Bank, NIFTY IT, NIFTY Pharma | Used to track sector-specific performance |
| Broad Market Index | Tracks a large number of stocks representing the whole market | NIFTY 500, BSE 500, S&P 500 | Most comprehensive view of market performance |
| Term | Definition | Exam Angle |
|---|---|---|
| Market Capitalisation | Price per share × total shares outstanding | Determines company's size; India's market crossed $4 trillion in 2024 |
| Blue-chip Stock | Shares of large, well-established, financially stable companies | SENSEX and NIFTY 50 track blue-chip stocks |
| Bull Run | Sustained period of rising stock prices | Positive economic sentiment; rising FPI inflows |
| Bear Market | Market falls 20%+ from recent peak; sustained decline | Negative sentiment; recession fears; panic selling |
| P/E Ratio | Stock price divided by earnings per share; measures valuation | High P/E = overvalued or high growth expectations |
| VIX (Volatility Index) | Measures market's expectation of volatility over next 30 days; called "Fear Index" | India VIX run by NSE; CBOE VIX in USA; high VIX = fear/uncertainty |
| Circuit Breaker | Automatic market halt when index falls/rises by 10%, 15%, or 20% | SEBI mechanism; prevents panic selling |
| Short Selling | Selling borrowed shares expecting price to fall, then buying back at lower price | Regulated in India; can amplify market fall |
| Derivatives | Financial contracts deriving value from underlying assets (stocks, commodities, currencies) | NSE is world's largest derivatives exchange |
| Futures | Agreement to buy/sell an asset at predetermined price on a future date | Index futures (NIFTY Futures) widely traded on NSE |
| Options | Right (not obligation) to buy/sell an asset at predetermined price | Call option (right to buy); Put option (right to sell) |
| Insider Trading | Illegal trading using non-public, price-sensitive information | Regulated by SEBI; criminal offence in India |
| FPI (Foreign Portfolio Investment) | Investment by foreign entities in Indian stocks/bonds (less than 10% stake) | Formerly FII; regulated by SEBI; volatile "hot money" |
⚖️ Compare Two Indices
📝 Key Notes & Memory Tips
SENSEX = Sensitive Index; run by BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange, founded 1875, Asia's oldest); tracks 30 blue-chip stocks; base year 1978–79, base value 100; free-float market cap weighted. NIFTY 50 = National Index Fifty; run by NSE (founded 1992, world's largest derivatives exchange); tracks 50 stocks; base year November 1995, base value 1,000. Both are in Mumbai. SEBI regulates both.
Price-weighted: stock's influence = its share price. Examples: Dow Jones (DJIA) and Nikkei 225 (Japan) — considered an older, less representative method. Market-cap-weighted (free-float): stock's influence = total market value of publicly traded shares. Examples: S&P 500, SENSEX, NIFTY 50 — more representative, most common modern method. This distinction is directly tested in Banking and UPSC exams.
NYSE (New York Stock Exchange, founded 1792): world's largest stock exchange by market capitalisation (~$27 trillion); traditional exchange on Wall Street. NASDAQ (founded 1971): second largest; world's first electronic stock exchange; technology-heavy — hosts Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta. NASDAQ is larger than NYSE in number of listed companies but smaller in total market cap.
India's combined BSE and NSE market capitalisation crossed $4 trillion in 2024, making India the 4th or 5th largest stock market globally (rankings fluctuate). India surpassed Hong Kong to enter the global top 5. The target of $10 trillion market cap by 2030 is frequently cited in policy discussions and may appear in Banking and RBI Grade B exams.
MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital International) Emerging Markets Index tracks stocks from 24 emerging market countries including India, China, Brazil, South Korea, and Taiwan. Many global funds are benchmarked to it — when MSCI increases India's weight, global funds automatically buy more Indian stocks, causing FPI inflows. India's weight in MSCI EM is approximately 18–20% (as of 2024). MSCI rebalancing decisions are major market-moving events.
India's two main indices:
"BSE = SENSEX (30 stocks, 1875, Dalal Street) | NSE = NIFTY 50 (50 stocks, 1992, BKC)"
→ B = BSE = S = SENSEX = 30 = 1875 | N = NSE = N = NIFTY = 50 = 1992
USA's three main indices:
"Dow is Old (30 stocks, 1896, price-weighted) | S&P is Big (500 stocks) | NASDAQ is Tech (3000+)"
Country → Index quick recall:
"UK = FTSE | Germany = DAX | France = CAC | Japan = Nikkei | China = Shanghai / Hang Seng (HK) | Korea = KOSPI | Australia = ASX"
🃏 Flashcards
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🧩 Practice Quiz
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SENSEX (Sensitive Index) is the benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), tracking 30 carefully selected blue-chip stocks. BSE, founded in 1875, is Asia's oldest stock exchange, located on Dalal Street, Mumbai. NIFTY 50 is the NSE index tracking 50 stocks — a common confusion in exams.
NSE is the world's largest derivatives exchange by the number of contracts traded. NSE was founded in 1992 and operates the NIFTY 50 index. BSE (1875) is Asia's oldest stock exchange. The world's first electronic stock exchange was NASDAQ (USA, 1971). NYSE is the world's largest by market capitalisation.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), founded in 1896, is a price-weighted index — a stock's influence is proportional to its share price, not its overall market size. This is considered an older method. The S&P 500, SENSEX, and NIFTY 50 are all free-float market capitalisation-weighted indices. Nikkei 225 (Japan) is also price-weighted — a common exam pairing with DJIA.
The Hang Seng Index is the primary benchmark of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX), tracking 82 of the largest and most liquid companies listed there. It is often used as a proxy for Chinese market sentiment since many major Chinese companies are listed in Hong Kong. The Shanghai Composite tracks all stocks on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (mainland China).
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index tracks stocks from 24 emerging market countries, including India. Many global institutional funds are benchmarked to this index — when MSCI increases India's weight, these funds automatically buy more Indian stocks, causing FPI inflows. India's weight in MSCI EM is approximately 18–20% (as of 2024), making MSCI rebalancing decisions a major market-moving event.
✅ Key Takeaways
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
SENSEX (Sensitive Index) is the benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), founded in 1875 — Asia's oldest stock exchange. It tracks 30 blue-chip stocks and has a base year of 1978–79 with a base value of 100. NIFTY 50 (National Index Fifty) is the benchmark of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), founded in 1992. It tracks 50 stocks and has a base year of November 3, 1995 with a base value of 1,000. Both are free-float market capitalisation-weighted indices and are regulated by SEBI. NSE holds the distinction of being the world's largest derivatives exchange by the number of contracts traded.
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), located on Wall Street in New York City, is the world's largest stock exchange by total market capitalisation — approximately $27–28 trillion as of 2024. It was founded in 1792. NASDAQ is the second largest (~$25 trillion) and is technology-focused — it was the world's first electronic stock exchange (1971). Among Asian exchanges, the Shanghai Stock Exchange is third globally. India's combined BSE and NSE market capitalisation crossed $4 trillion in 2024, placing India among the world's top 5 stock markets — surpassing Hong Kong.
MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital International) Emerging Markets Index tracks stocks from 24 emerging market countries, including India, China, Brazil, South Korea, and Taiwan. Many global institutional investors use it as a benchmark — funds that track this index automatically buy or sell stocks when MSCI rebalances its weightings. India has approximately 18–20% weight in MSCI EM (as of 2024), making it one of the largest single-country components. When MSCI increases India's weight, it triggers automatic FPI inflows worth billions — and vice versa. MSCI rebalancing decisions are therefore major market-moving events for Indian equities.
Stock market indices are tested in Banking exams (IBPS PO/Clerk, SBI PO, RBI Grade B), UPSC Prelims (Economy), SSC CGL, and State PSC GK sections. Common question types include: SENSEX = BSE (30 stocks), NIFTY = NSE (50 stocks), NSE = world's largest derivatives exchange, NYSE = world's largest by market cap, index of a specific country (FTSE 100 = UK, DAX = Germany, Nikkei = Japan, CAC 40 = France, Hang Seng = Hong Kong), weighting methodology (Dow Jones and Nikkei = price-weighted; S&P 500, SENSEX, NIFTY = market-cap weighted), and the VIX (Volatility Index / Fear Index). This page covers all major patterns in one place.
