The S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq Since 2000 Highs as of December 2025

Core Insights - The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite are key stock market indexes that measure the performance of the U.S. stock market, typically moving in tandem but with varying degrees of gains or losses depending on market conditions and economic state [1] Group 1: Index Characteristics - The S&P 500 uses market capitalization for weighting, includes approximately 500 of the largest U.S. stocks across 11 sectors, providing a broad market performance view [2] - The Nasdaq also employs market cap weighting but consists of over 3,000 stocks, heavily focused on the technology sector, making it a benchmark for tech and growth companies [2] - The Dow is a smaller index with 30 established "blue-chip" stocks, using stock prices for weighting, resulting in a more conservative representation of the market [2] Group 2: Performance Analysis - As of December 2025, the S&P 500 decreased by 0.1%, the Dow increased by 0.7%, and the Nasdaq decreased by 0.5% compared to November [3] - When adjusted for inflation, the real month-over-month changes were 0.4% for the S&P 500, 1.2% for the Dow, and -0.1% for the Nasdaq [4] - Over the last decade, each index has shown significant growth in real terms: S&P 500 up 138%, Dow up 118%, and Nasdaq up 144% [4]