The stock indices of the Americas measure the various national equity markets on the continents of North and South America. There are stock indices in many Latin American countries but the best known indices from the Americas are the
S&P 500 (US), the
Bovespa Index (Brazil) and the
S&P/TSX 60 (Canada). The Standard & Poor's 500 is a capitalization-weighted index of the 500 most actively traded stocks on the NYSE and the NASDAQ, the 2 biggest stock exchanges in the world.
It represents about 70% of the total value of the US stock market and is one of the most followed stock indices worldwide. The Bovespa Index is an accumulation index of 50 companies, traded on the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange. The included companies have 80% of their volume traded on the exchange and have been traded there for 12 months. The S&P/TSX 60 is a stock index of 60 of the largest and most liquid stocks, representing national and multinational industry leaders, traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
