History of Nasdaq Composite in Timeline

The NASDAQ Composite is a major U.S. stock market index encompassing nearly all stocks listed on the Nasdaq exchange. It's one of the most watched indices, alongside the Dow and S&P 500. Its composition is significantly weighted towards information technology companies. The Nasdaq-100, featuring the 100 largest non-financial firms within the Composite, represents approximately 80% of the total index weighting.

1971: Nasdaq Composite Launch

In 1971, the Nasdaq Composite was launched with an initial value set at 100.

1991: Comparison to Nikkei 225 Bubble

In comparison to the Japanese Nikkei 225 during the Japanese asset price bubble of 1991, the Nasdaq Composite reached a price–earnings ratio of 200, dwarfing the Nikkei's peak of 80.

July 17, 1995: Nasdaq Composite Closes Above 1,000

On July 17, 1995, the Nasdaq Composite closed above the 1,000 mark for the first time in its history.

1995: Nasdaq Composite Rise Begins

In 1995, the Nasdaq Composite began a significant rise, increasing 400% by 2000, during the peak of the dot-com bubble.

1999: Qualcomm and Large-Cap Stock Surge

In 1999, Qualcomm shares surged by 2,619%, and several other large-cap stocks experienced substantial increases in value, with investors favoring Internet stocks over slower-growing companies. Despite the Nasdaq Composite rising 85.6%, more stocks fell than rose in value.

March 9, 2000: Nasdaq Above 5,000

On March 9, 2000, the Nasdaq Composite had previously been above 5,000.

March 10, 2000: Nasdaq Composite Peaks

On March 10, 2000, the Nasdaq Composite reached its peak at 5,132.52 before declining significantly.

September 7, 2000: First Time Since Index Closed Above 4,000

On September 7, 2000, was the date that the Nasdaq Composite first closed above 4,000.

2000: Dot-com Bubble Peak

Between 1995 and 2000, during the peak of the dot-com bubble, the Nasdaq Composite stock market index rose 400%, reaching a price–earnings ratio of 200.

January 24, 2001: Highest Point Reached

On January 24, 2001, the Nasdaq Composite reached the highest point before falling in the United States bear market of 2007-2009.

October 10, 2002: Bear Market Bottom

On October 10, 2002, the Nasdaq Composite hit the bottom of its bear market trend, reaching an intra-day low of 1,108.49.

October 2002: Nasdaq Composite Falls 78% From Peak

By October 2002, the Nasdaq Composite had fallen 78% from its peak value reached in March 2000.

March 24, 2003: Worst Single-Session Percentage Decline

On March 24, 2003, the Nasdaq Composite recorded a bad single-session percentage decline.

2004: Nasdaq Composite Eligibility Criteria

In 2004, the Nasdaq Composite stipulated that for a security to be included in the index, its U.S. listing must be exclusively on the Nasdaq stock market, unless it was dually listed on another U.S. market before 2004 and has continuously maintained that listing.

May 2007: Remained Down at Least 50%

The Nasdaq Composite remained down at least 50% until May 2007 after hitting the bottom of its bear market trend on October 10, 2002.

October 9, 2007: Index Closed Above 2,800

On October 9, 2007, the Nasdaq Composite closed above 2,800.

October 31, 2007: Intra-day Level Reached

On October 31, 2007, the Nasdaq Composite reached an intra-day level of 2,861.51, marking the highest point since January 24, 2001.

February 6, 2008: Index Trading Below 2,300

By February 6, 2008, the Nasdaq Composite was trading below 2,300.

September 15, 2008: Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy

On September 15, 2008, the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers led to a 3.6% drop in the Nasdaq Composite, which was its worst single-session percentage decline since March 24, 2003.

September 29, 2008: Significant Index Drop

On September 29, 2008, the Nasdaq Composite fell nearly 200 points, or 9.14%, dropping below 2,000.

October 13, 2008: Index Gains Nearly 200 Points

On October 13, 2008, the Nasdaq Composite gained nearly 200 points, an increase of more than 11%.

March 9, 2009: Six-Year Intra-Day Low

On March 9, 2009, the Nasdaq Composite reached a six-year intra-day low of 1,265.52.

2009: United States Bear Market

The United States bear market of 2007-2009 saw the fall of the Nasdaq Composite.

2012: Year-End Close

The Nasdaq Composite closed 2012 at 3,019.51 points.

November 26, 2013: Index Closes Above 4,000

On November 26, 2013, the Nasdaq Composite closed above 4,000 for the first time since September 7, 2000.

December 31, 2013: New Record Annual Close

On December 31, 2013, the Nasdaq Composite set a new record annual close of 4,176.59.

March 2, 2015: Index Closes Above 5,000

On March 2, 2015, the Nasdaq Composite closed above 5,000 for the first time since March 9, 2000.

April 23, 2015: New Record Closing High

On April 23, 2015, the Nasdaq Composite set a new record closing high for the first time in 15 years.

January 2, 2018: Index Crosses 7,000 Intraday

On January 2, 2018, the Nasdaq Composite crossed 7,000 intraday.

December 24, 2018: Yearly Low Plunge

By December 24, 2018, the Nasdaq Composite had plunged to its yearly low at 6,192.

2019: Significant Index Rise

In 2019, the Nasdaq Composite rose 35.2%, closing the year at 8,972.60 points.

March 23, 2020: Stock Market Crash Low

During the 2020 stock market crash, on March 23, 2020, the Nasdaq Composite hit a low of 6,860.

June 9, 2020: Index Trades Above 10,000

On June 9, 2020, the Nasdaq Composite traded above 10,000 for the first time.

August 6, 2020: New All-Time High

On August 6, 2020, the Nasdaq Composite reached a new all-time high above 11,000 and closed the year at 12,888 points.

2021: Milestones Above 13,000, 14,000 and 16,000

In 2021, the Nasdaq Composite reached milestones, closing above 13,000 and 14,000 in January and February, respectively, and closing above 16,000 for the first time in November.

2022: Intraday Low and Worst First Half

In 2022, the Nasdaq Composite plunged, reaching an intraday low on June 16 at 10,565.14. It closed the first half of the year down 29.74%, the worst first half of the year in its history.