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Markets & Investing

Live world indices, which exchanges are open right now, how stock indices are built, and every markets and investing guide on FintechZoom Pro in one place.

By fintechzoompro.com (editorial team)Published Nov 8, 2026Sources

World indices by region

Live data: TradingView

Live index chart loads when you scroll or tap

S&P 500
Nasdaq 100
Dow 30
Russell 2000
FTSE 100
DAX
CAC 40
STOXX Europe 600
Nikkei 225
Hang Seng
S&P/ASX 200
Shanghai Composite

Quotes can be delayed, and some symbols are CFD or futures-based proxies of the index rather than the official index value. Check the index provider for official closing levels.

Which stock markets are open right now?

Stock exchanges trade during set local hours on weekdays, so the global trading day moves from Asia-Pacific to Europe and then to the Americas. Sydney and Tokyo open first, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Mumbai follow, then London and the continental European exchanges, and finally New York and Toronto.

Some Asian exchanges, such as Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai, pause for a midday break. The hours when London and New York are both open are usually among the busiest of the day, because news from the US session meets still-open European markets.

Daily recaps: Asian markets today ·European markets today ·US markets today

Bars show each exchange's usual weekday session in your time zone; green = open now.

– of 10 open now

New York (NYSE, Nasdaq)09:30–16:00 ET
Local hours: 09:30–16:00 ET, Monday to Friday
Toronto (TSX)09:30–16:00 ET
Local hours: 09:30–16:00 ET, Monday to Friday
London (LSE)08:00–16:30 UK time
Local hours: 08:00–16:30 UK time, Monday to Friday
Frankfurt (Xetra)09:00–17:30 CET/CEST
Local hours: 09:00–17:30 CET/CEST, Monday to Friday
Paris (Euronext)09:00–17:30 CET/CEST
Local hours: 09:00–17:30 CET/CEST, Monday to Friday
Mumbai (NSE)09:15–15:30 IST
Local hours: 09:15–15:30 IST, Monday to Friday
Shanghai (SSE)09:30–11:30, 13:00–15:00 CST
Local hours: 09:30–11:30 and 13:00–15:00 CST, Monday to Friday
Hong Kong (HKEX)09:30–12:00, 13:00–16:00 HKT
Local hours: 09:30–12:00 and 13:00–16:00 HKT, Monday to Friday
Tokyo (TSE)09:00–11:30, 12:30–15:30 JST
Local hours: 09:00–11:30 and 12:30–15:30 JST, Monday to Friday
Sydney (ASX)10:00–16:00 AEST/AEDT
Local hours: 10:00–16:00 AEST/AEDT, Monday to Friday

Mon–Fri regular sessions only. Public holidays, half days, pre-market/after-hours and auctions are not shown; check the exchange's own calendar before trading.

Dollar-cost averaging calculator

Invest the same dollar amount on three dates. A fixed contribution buys more units at a lower price and fewer at a higher price.

Compare the result with investing the same total on the first date. Either approach can perform better depending on how prices move.

Method Investor.gov’s explanation of dollar-cost averaging.

Three monthly investments

Monthly contribution ($)

Month 1 unit price ($)

Month 2 unit price ($)

Month 3 unit price ($)

Final unit price ($)

Total invested$600.00

Units purchased6.1000

Average price paid$98.36

Final value (monthly)$671.00

Final value (up front)$660.00

Illustration assumes fractional units and excludes fees, dividends, taxes and any interest on uninvested cash.

How a stock index works

A stock index is a rules-based basket of shares that summarises how a market or segment is doing in one number. The index provider decides which companies qualify and how much each one counts.

Most major indices, including the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and DAX, are weighted by market capitalisation (usually counting only freely tradable shares), so the biggest companies move the index most. A few famous ones, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nikkei 225, are price-weighted: a company with a high share price counts more, whatever its total size.

You cannot buy an index directly. Investors get exposure through index funds and ETFs that track it, or through futures and other derivatives, which carry extra risks. See our stock futures guide.

Hypothetical example · not real companies

Company	Share price	Shares	Weight if price-weighted	Weight if cap-weighted
A	$300	1 bn	60%	27%
B	$50	10 bn	10%	45%
C	$150	2 bn	30%	27%

If company B's share price moves +10%…

Price-weighted index moves +1.0%

Cap-weighted index moves +4.5%

B has the lowest share price but the largest company value, so it barely matters in a price-weighted index and matters most in a cap-weighted one.

Major world indices at a glance

What the best-known benchmarks track and who calculates them.

Index	Market	What it tracks	Weighting	Provider
S&P 500	United States	About 500 leading large US companies	Float-adjusted market cap	S&P Dow Jones Indices
Dow Jones Industrial Average	United States	30 large US blue-chip companies	Price-weighted	S&P Dow Jones Indices
Nasdaq-100	United States	100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on Nasdaq	Modified market cap	Nasdaq
Russell 2000	United States	About 2,000 small-cap US companies	Float-adjusted market cap	FTSE Russell (LSEG)
FTSE 100	United Kingdom	100 largest eligible companies on the London Stock Exchange	Free-float market cap	FTSE Russell (LSEG)
DAX	Germany	40 largest German companies on the Frankfurt exchange	Free-float market cap	STOXX (Deutsche Börse Group)
CAC 40	France	40 large companies listed on Euronext Paris	Free-float market cap	Euronext
STOXX Europe 600	Europe	600 large, mid and small companies across European countries	Free-float market cap	STOXX
Nikkei 225	Japan	225 companies on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market	Price-weighted	Nikkei Inc.
Hang Seng Index	Hong Kong	The largest and most liquid companies listed in Hong Kong	Free-float market cap (with a weight cap)	Hang Seng Indexes
S&P/ASX 200	Australia	200 largest eligible ASX-listed companies	Float-adjusted market cap	S&P Dow Jones Indices

Index names link to our guide where one exists. Membership rules are set by each provider and reviewed regularly; see the provider links under Sources.

How to read a market day

Points vs percent. A move of 100 points means very different things for indices at different levels; the percentage change is the fair comparison across markets.
Before the open. Index futures and pre-market trading hint at the opening direction, but they can reverse once the regular session starts.
Scheduled news. Company earnings, inflation and jobs data, and central bank rate decisions are common causes of big moves. Times are announced in advance on official calendars.
Breadth. An index can rise while most of its members fall if a few heavyweights rally; lists like today's top gainers show what is driving a move.
Currency. Index levels are quoted in local currency, so a foreign investor's return also depends on the exchange rate.

Investing basics before you start

Investing in shares means accepting that prices go down as well as up, and you can lose money. Regulators and investor-education bodies consistently stress a few principles:

Diversify. Spreading money across many companies, sectors and regions reduces the damage any single holding can do.
Match the time horizon. Money you need soon is usually not suited to volatile assets such as shares.
Watch costs. Fund fees, trading commissions and spreads compound over time and reduce returns.
Use regulated firms. Check that a broker is authorised by your country's regulator before you deposit money. Read why to trade with regulated brokers.

New to this? Start with the Stock Market Investing course page and the SEC's Investor.gov introduction to investing.

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Sources

S&P 500 index overview (S&P Dow Jones Indices)
Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) overview (Nasdaq)
FTSE UK index series (FTSE 100) (FTSE Russell / LSEG)
STOXX Europe 600 index details (STOXX)
Nikkei 225 (Nikkei Stock Average) (Nikkei Inc.)
Hang Seng Index (Hang Seng Indexes)
NYSE hours and holiday calendar (NYSE)
Introduction to investing (U.S. SEC, Investor.gov)

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