
The MSCI World is a market cap weighted
stock market index
In finance, a stock index, or stock market index, is an index that measures a stock market, or a subset of the stock market, that helps investors compare current stock price levels with past prices to calculate market performance.
Two of the ...
of 1,546 companies throughout the world. It is maintained by
MSCI, formerly Morgan Stanley Capital International, and is used as a common benchmark for 'world' or 'global'
stock funds intended to represent a broad cross-section of global markets.
The index includes a collection of
stocks
Stocks are feet restraining devices that were used as a form of corporal punishment and public humiliation. The use of stocks is seen as early as Ancient Greece, where they are described as being in use in Solon's law code. The law describing ...
of all the
developed market
In investing, a developed market is a country that is most developed in terms of its economy and capital markets. The country must be high income, but this also includes openness to foreign ownership, ease of capital movement, and efficiency of ma ...
s in the world, as defined by MSCI. The index includes
securities
A security is a tradable financial asset. The term commonly refers to any form of financial instrument, but its legal definition varies by jurisdiction. In some countries and languages people commonly use the term "security" to refer to any fo ...
from 23 countries excluding stocks from emerging and frontier economies making it less worldwide than the name suggests. A related index, the MSCI All Country World Index (ACWI), incorporated both developed and emerging countries. MSCI also produces a Frontier Markets index, including another 31 markets.
The MSCI World Index has been calculated since 1969, in
various forms: without
dividend
A dividend is a distribution of profits by a corporation to its shareholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, it is able to pay a portion of the profit as a dividend to shareholders. Any amount not distributed is taken to be re-inv ...
s (Price Index), with net or with gross dividends reinvested (Net and Gross Index), in US dollars, Euro and local currencies.
Countries/Regions
The index includes companies in the following countries/regions:
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Total annual returns
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Total returns including reinvested dividends.
See also
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Exchange-traded fund
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MSCI EAFE
The MSCI EAFE Index is a stock market index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets outside of the U.S. & Canada. It is maintained by MSCI Inc., a provider of investment decision support tools; the EAFE acro ...
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S&P Global 1200
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Stock market index
In finance, a stock index, or stock market index, is an index that measures a stock market, or a subset of the stock market, that helps investors compare current stock price levels with past prices to calculate market performance.
Two of the ...
References
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Global stock market indices