Stock markets
S&P 500 chart
The S&P 500 tracks around 500 large, publicly listed US companies chosen and maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices. It's the default shorthand for "the US stock market" in most news coverage, and the most widely used gauge of US large-cap performance.
The chart on this page isn't the index itself. It's a CFD from OANDA that tracks the S&P 500's price moves, because the index isn't published as a free tradable feed on TradingView.
S&P 500 chart
OANDA:SPX500USDCFD on the S&P 500 (OANDA SPX500USD). The S&P 500 index itself is not available to free TradingView widgets.
Charts by TradingView. To switch instrument, use the market charts hub or the related charts below. Each one has its own page.
At a glance
| Full name | S&P 500 Index |
|---|---|
| Ticker / common abbreviation | SPX, S&P 500 |
| TradingView symbol | OANDA:SPX500USD |
| Instrument type shown | CFD tracking the index |
| Index provider | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| Market covered | Large-cap US-listed companies (NYSE, Nasdaq) |
| Quotation currency | US dollar |
| Trading/market schedule | Underlying market: US exchange hours; CFD trades on the broker's own extended schedule |
| Price return vs total return | The headline index is price return; dividends are excluded unless a total-return variant is cited |
| Data delay | CFD quotes from the liquidity provider, typically near real-time; check TradingView for the specific feed status |
What is S&P 500?
S&P Dow Jones Indices picks the roughly 500 constituents based on market capitalisation, liquidity and profitability. It's not a fixed mechanical formula - an index committee makes the final call.
Companies are weighted by float-adjusted market cap, so the biggest names (measured by shares actually available to trade) move the index far more than smaller ones. Constituents come and go as companies grow, shrink, merge or get bought out.
The number you see quoted in the media is price return only - it ignores dividends. S&P also publishes a total-return version that reinvests them, which is a different figure entirely. And remember: an index is a calculated value, not something you can buy directly. You can only get exposure through funds, futures or CFDs that track it.
How to read this chart
A rising chart means the roughly 500 constituents, weighted by market cap, have gained in aggregate since the last reading. A falling chart means the opposite.
Because this page shows a CFD rather than the index itself, short-term ticks can differ slightly from the official value due to the provider's own pricing and spread. Over any meaningful stretch of time the two track closely, but they're not identical.
The price-return figure excludes dividends, so it understates total shareholder return compared with a total-return index or a fund that reinvests distributions.
What moves it?
- US monetary policy
- Fed rate decisions and guidance set the discount rate applied to future earnings - a major lever on valuations across the index.
- Corporate earnings
- Quarterly results from the biggest constituents can move the index materially given how heavily it's weighted toward them.
- Macroeconomic data
- US inflation, employment and growth releases shape expectations for policy and corporate demand.
- Sector concentration
- A handful of large technology and communication-services companies account for a large slice of the index, so their moves can dominate the headline even when most constituents barely budge.
- Global risk sentiment
- As a widely held benchmark, it's sensitive to broad shifts in risk appetite, including geopolitical shocks and credit-market stress.
Why people watch it
Businesses use the S&P 500 as a rough read on US corporate and consumer sentiment, and as a reference point for gauging demand conditions facing exporters and suppliers.
Investors and analysts treat it as the default large-cap US benchmark for measuring fund performance, sector rotation and market breadth.
S&P 500 vs Nasdaq 100
The S&P 500 spans roughly 500 companies across every major US sector. The Nasdaq 100 is limited to the 100 largest non-financial Nasdaq-listed companies and leans heavily toward technology.
That sector tilt makes the Nasdaq 100 more sensitive to tech earnings and rate expectations, while the S&P 500 spreads exposure across industrials, healthcare, financials and energy as well as tech.
Frequently asked questions
Can I invest directly in the S&P 500?
No. An index is a calculated number, not a tradable security. You get exposure through index funds, ETFs, futures or CFDs that track it.
Why does the chart show a CFD instead of the index?
The official S&P 500 feed isn't available as a free TradingView symbol, so this page uses an OANDA CFD that closely tracks the index's price moves.
How often does the S&P 500 change its constituents?
S&P Dow Jones Indices reviews it periodically through the year and adds or removes companies as they meet or fail eligibility criteria, or following mergers and delistings.
Does the S&P 500 include dividends?
The commonly quoted price-return index doesn't. A separate total-return version from S&P Dow Jones Indices reinvests dividends.
Related market charts
Investment calculators
- Investment Growth Calculator
See what a lump sum plus monthly contributions turns into over time.
- ROI and CAGR Calculator
Turn a start and end value into total return and an annual growth rate.
- Drawdown Recovery Calculator
A 50% fall needs a 100% gain to get back. Check the maths on yours.
- Investment Comparison Calculator
Put two options on identical assumptions and see the gap in money.
Sources
Written and maintained by the StandardsDesk editorial team. Last reviewed 2026-08-06. The text here is deliberately evergreen: it is not rewritten every time the market moves, and no price or level is quoted anywhere outside the chart itself.
Trading through a company?
Brokers usually will not open or keep a corporate trading account without a Legal Entity Identifier. Checking whether yours needs one takes a couple of minutes.