The S&P 500 Index, a market-capitalization-weighted index of the 500 largest US publicly traded companies, recently came into the spotlight, as five tech companies account for a record part. The Big Five – Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook – reached the record of accounting for almost 23% of the S&P 500 overall value. Microsoft, Alphabet led the latest rally to record, and Facebook, which reached new highs Friday, pushed the index higher. However, despite their popularity, only two – Apple and Microsoft – are classified as tech companies. Facebook and Alphabet are in the communications sector, while Amazon is part of the consumer discretionary group.
Companies’ rise to the top came in the past couple of years. At the end of 2019, the five largest stocks in the index totaled 17.2%, with Berkshire Hathaway ranking no. 5. Facebook has replaced it.
Since the beginning of the year, all The Big Five members have notable gains, with Alphabet leading the way – a 57.3% increase. Facebook follows it – 35.4%, Microsoft – 30.2%, Apple, and Amazon with an approx. increase of 12% each. The index itself added 17.5% year-to-date as of Friday close.
Despite the recent scrutiny over their alleged anticompetitive behavior and Biden administration efforts to aim at them based on their size, on Monday trading, 4/5 were higher, with Microsoft being down $1.73 at $287.94 per share.
All eyes are on Apple, Alphabet, and Microsoft due to report earnings for the June quarter today.
Sources: barrons.com, cnbc.com