Nikkei 225 Stock Average

The Tokyo Stock Exchange Index — Nikkei 225 Stock Average Index is a key stock index in Japan, one of the main stock indices in the world and an important tool for macroeconomic analysis.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange is one of the largest in the world, working with more than 2000 companies and is second only to the New York Stock Exchange in capitalization.

The Nikkei 225 was first published on September 7, 1950 under the name TSE Adjusted Stock Price Average. The index itself was developed as part of Japan's economic recovery program after World War II.

The index consists of shares of the 225 most traded companies and is calculated at the weighted average price of the shares of the so-called "blue chips" in Japan. It includes such market giants as Sony, Canon, Mazda, Panasonic and Toyota.

All companies whose shares are included in the Nikkei 225 index are divided into six sectors of the national market:

• Technologies
• Finance
• Consumer goods
• Industrial goods
• Goods and materials
• Transport and services