Nasdaq 100 price today

The Nasdaq 100 (NAS100) price tracks the performance of the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the US Nasdaq exchange; an index in which familiar names from the tech world, from phone and chip makers to search engines and online retailers, carry the most weight. For many traders, the Nasdaq 100 is a thermometer of the market's appetite for risk and growth. On this page you can see the live price of this index and its candlestick chart, and below you will learn about its composition and weighting method, the factors that move it, its trading hours and tips for trading its CFD.

What is the Nasdaq 100?

The Nasdaq exchange (NASDAQ) was launched in 1971 as the world's first electronic stock market and, thanks to its more flexible listing requirements, became the main home of technology and growth companies. The Nasdaq 100 index was introduced in 1985 and includes the 100 largest companies listed on this exchange, with one important exception: financial companies such as banks and investment firms are not included.

Set aside two common misconceptions. First, the Nasdaq 100 is not the same as the Nasdaq Composite; the Composite includes all stocks listed on the Nasdaq, and the media sometimes call both of them "the Nasdaq". Second, Nasdaq 100 members are not necessarily American; any non-financial company listed on the Nasdaq that meets the size and liquidity requirements can become a member.

Modified market-cap weighting

The Nasdaq 100 is a modified market-cap weighted index. This means the greater a company's total market value, the greater its weight in the index; however, to prevent a few tech giants from dominating too much, caps are set on the weight of individual companies and on the combined weight of the largest members. If weights exceed these caps, the index is rebalanced.

The index's membership is reviewed every year in December; companies that are no longer among the 100 largest eligible companies are removed and new companies are added. Despite the caps, a few large tech companies hold a significant share of the whole index; so an earnings report or major news from one of these giants can move the entire index.

Nasdaq 100 vs. Dow Jones

These two indices move in the same direction on most days, but the strength of their moves differs. To learn how the Dow Jones is calculated, see the Dow Jones index page.

What moves the Nasdaq 100?

1. Interest rates: the most sensitive variable

A large part of the value of technology and growth companies comes from profits expected to be earned years from now. When US interest rates and bond yields rise, the present value of these distant profits falls; that is why the Nasdaq 100 usually reacts more sensitively than the Dow Jones to changes in interest rate expectations. Follow the policy of the Federal Reserve and other central banks on the global interest rates page.

2. Tech giants' earnings reports

Earnings season matters twice as much for the Nasdaq 100. The results, and especially the guidance from the executives of a few large companies about the coming quarters, usually released after the market closes, can move the index sharply in after-hours trading and the following day.

3. Inflation and employment data

Inflation figures (CPI and PCE) and the employment report (NFP) affect this index through interest rate expectations. Check their release times in the Teagle economic calendar .

4. Technology waves and regulation

Major technology trends such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and the chip industry, and on the other hand, technology export restrictions, tariffs, antitrust cases and US–China tensions, have a direct impact on the valuation of the index's main members.

A lesson from history: the dot-com bubble

The Nasdaq 100 has shown many times that sharp rallies can come with deep declines. The most famous example is the bursting of the internet (dot-com) bubble in 2000; after peaking in March of that year, the index lost a very large part of its value over the next two years and took years to return to that level. This experience is a reminder that concentration in one industry is both an opportunity and a risk.

Trading hours and trading NAS100 with brokers

The Nasdaq's main session runs from 9:30 to 16:00 New York time, which starts at 17:00 Tehran time during US summer time and at 18:00 in winter. The Nasdaq 100 CFD, which appears at brokers under names such as NAS100, US100 or USTEC, is traded almost around the clock based on the index's futures contract, but the highest volume and volatility occur in the early hours of the main session. Check the exact hours in global market hours .

• Value per point: depends on each broker's lot definition and is not the same everywhere; check the symbol specifications before trading and set your position size based on your stop loss with the trading calculator .
• Leverage and gaps: The Nasdaq's high volatility combined with leverage is a dangerous mix. After-hours earnings reports and weekend news can make the price open with a gap, and in such conditions a stop loss may be executed with slippage.
• Access for Iranian users: Because of sanctions, buying US stocks or ETFs tracking this index directly is difficult for Iranians, and most access is through broker CFDs or prop firms . Before opening an account, read the broker comparison and make sure of the regulation status and deposit and withdrawal terms.

The Nasdaq 100 and market risk sentiment

Traders regard the Nasdaq 100 as one of the clearest signs of the market's "risk appetite". In periods when investors are optimistic, this index usually moves ahead of the rest, and in periods of fear, money flows into safe-haven assets such as US bonds, gold and sometimes the Japanese yen; that is why the USDJPY pair also often reacts to stock moves on turbulent days. In some periods in recent years, the crypto market has also moved in the same direction as the Nasdaq, although this correlation is not stable. Paying attention to these relationships helps you avoid unintentionally opening several trades with the same risk.

See the full list of global indices on Teagle. The information on this page is for informational purposes only and is not a buy or sell recommendation. The Nasdaq 100 price is sourced from global market feeds and may differ slightly from your broker's CFD price; leveraged trading carries high risk and you may lose part or all of your capital.