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Some Definitions:
All Stock Symbols
A Blue Chip company is a large, financially stable, and well-established company with a history of reliable performance and steady growth. These companies are often household names, industry leaders, and component parts of major market indexes like the S&P 500. Blue chip stocks are considered less risky and are known for stable earnings and often pay consistent dividends.
Market cap, or market capitalization, is the total value of a publicly traded company's outstanding shares, calculated by multiplying the current share price by the total number of shares in circulation. It is a key metric used to quickly gauge a company's size and is often used to categorize stocks into groups like large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap. Larger market caps generally indicate more stability, while smaller ones may offer higher growth potential but with more risk.
The top companies on the NASDAQ, primarily based on the NASDAQ-100 index, are consistently led by technology giants like Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon, followed by others such as Broadcom, Meta Platforms, and Tesla. These companies have the largest market capitalization and hold the most significant weighting in the index.
The number of companies tracked by the Nasdaq varies depending on the index. As of late 2024, there were over 4,000 companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange, with the Nasdaq Composite index tracking over 3,300 of them. The Nasdaq-100 index, in contrast, includes 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the exchange.
A Gold Continuous Contract is a price benchmark that links together the prices of successive monthly gold futures contracts to create a single, unbroken price chart that is more representative of the current market. This is achieved by using a specific "rollover" criterion to combine expiring contracts with new ones, creating a continuous data series for trading and analysis. It is not a single, physical contract but a representation of the price history of a commodity.
An ETF, or exchange-traded fund, is an investment fund that holds a collection of assets, such as stocks, bonds, or commodities, and trades on a stock exchange like an individual stock. ETFs offer investors a way to buy and sell a diversified portfolio in a single transaction, combining the flexibility of stocks with the diversification of a mutual fund.
Payment For Order Flow (PFOF) is a practice where brokerages sell their customers' trade orders to market makers, who pay the brokerage a small fee for the orders. The market maker then executes the trades, profiting from the difference between the buy and sell prices, known as the spread. This model allows many online brokers to offer commission-free trading, but it has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the quality of trade execution.
How PFOF works:
Brokerages route orders: When you place a trade through a brokerage that uses PFOF, your order is routed to a market maker (a large trading firm) instead of a public exchange.
Market makers pay brokers: The market maker pays the brokerage a small rebate, or fee, for sending them the order flow.
Market makers profit: The market maker then executes the trade and makes money from the "bid-ask spread," which is the small difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept.
Brokers offer commission-free trades: In exchange for these payments, brokerages can advertise "commission-free" trading, as they make revenue from PFOF instead of customer commissions.
Potential benefits and concerns:
Benefits: PFOF has been a driving force behind the widespread availability of commission-free trading for retail investors.
Concerns: Critics argue that PFOF creates a conflict of interest, as a brokerage might be incentivized to route orders to a market maker that offers the highest payment, even if another market maker could provide a slightly better price or faster execution for the customer.
Key requirements:
Brokers must disclose that they accept PFOF and must strive to provide "best execution" for their clients, meaning they must execute trades at the best available price at that time.
The practice has been controversial, leading regulators to focus on its impact on market quality and investor protection.
Market Watch (2025 Nov 19 > 22)
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) - Tracks 30 Blue Chip companies
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) - Tracks 30 Blue Chip companies
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (The "Dow")
What it is: A basket of just 30 "Blue Chip" companies (massive, stable household names like Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Goldman Sachs).
Why it matters: It is the oldest index (the "Grandfather"), but it has a weird quirk: it is "Price-Weighted." A company with a high share price (e.g., $400/share) moves the index more than a company with a low share price (e.g., $50/share), regardless of how big the actual company is. If the Nasdaq is up but the Dow is down, it usually means investors are feeling "risky" and buying tech growth stocks rather than stable industrial stocks.
Listed companies as on Niovemner 18
Rank Company Ticker Market Cap Sector
1 NVIDIA NVDA ~$4.47 Trillion Technology (Semiconductors)
2 Apple AAPL ~$3.98 Trillion Technology
3 Microsoft MSFT ~$3.66 Trillion Technology
4 Alphabet (Google) GOOGL ~$3.48 Trillion Communication Services
5 Amazon AMZN ~$2.40 Trillion Cons. Discretionary
6 JPMorgan Chase JPM ~$827 Billion Financials
7 Walmart WMT ~$819 Billion Cons. Staples
8 Visa V ~$624 Billion Financials
9 UnitedHealth Group UNH ~$481 Billion Healthcare
10 Mastercard MA ~$477 Billion Financials
11 Procter & Gamble PG ~$344 Billion Cons. Staples
12 Home Depot HD ~$340 Billion Cons. Discretionary
13 Johnson & Johnson JNJ ~$310 Billion Healthcare
14 Chevron CVX ~$310 Billion Energy
15 Coca-Cola KO ~$307 Billion Cons. Staples
16 Cisco Systems CSCO ~$305 Billion Technology
17 Salesforce CRM ~$290 Billion Technology
18 Merck MRK ~$280 Billion Healthcare
19 IBM IBM ~$273 Billion Technology
20 Caterpillar CAT ~$258 Billion Industrials
21 Disney DIS ~$200 Billion Communication Services
22 McDonald's MCD ~$219 Billion Cons. Discretionary
23 American Express AXP ~$246 Billion Financials
24 Goldman Sachs GS ~$237 Billion Financials
25 Amgen AMGN ~$174 Billion Healthcare
26 Verizon VZ ~$173 Billion Communication Services
27 Sherwin-Williams SHW ~$90 Billion Materials
28 Honeywell HON ~$125 Billion Industrials
29 Boeing BA ~$148 Billion Industrials
30 3M MMM ~$89 Billion Industrials
31 Travelers TRV ~$64 Billion Financials
The Nasdaq Composite (The Growth Engine)
What it is: Tracks over 3,000 stocks listed on the Nasdaq exchange.
Why it matters: It is heavily skewed toward Technology and Biotech. If the Nasdaq is up but the Dow is down, it usually means investors are feeling "risky" and buying tech growth stocks rather than stable industrial stocks.
The S&P 500 (The Benchmark)
What it is: Tracks 500 of the largest companies in the U.S. across all industries (banks, tech, oil, retail).
Why it matters: It is widely considered the truest representation of the U.S. stock market because it is "Market-Cap Weighted." This means massive companies (like Apple or Microsoft) influence the index more than smaller ones.
Who watches it: Professional investors, 401(k) managers, and economists.
Top 10 listed comapny as on November 18, 2025:
Rank Company Ticker Market Cap Share Price
1 NVIDIA NVDA $4.47 Trillion ~$183
2 Apple APL $3.98 Trillion ~$268
3 Microsoft MSFT $3.66 Trillion ~$492
4 Alphabet (Google) GOOGL $3.48 Trillion ~$288
5 Amazon AMZN $2.40 Trillion ~$224
6 Broadcom AVGO $1.63 Trillion ~$345
7 Meta (Facebook) META $1.51 Trillion ~$598
8 Tesla TSLA $1.34 Trillion ~$402
9 Berkshire Hathaway BRK.B $1.09 Trillion ~$505
10 Eli Lilly LLY $928 Billion ~$1,035
Gold Continuous Contract -
Gold Continuous Contract -
A gold continuous contract is a price benchmark that links together the prices of successive monthly gold futures contracts to create a single, unbroken price chart that is more representative of the current market. This is achieved by using a specific "rollover" criterion to combine expiring contracts with new ones, creating a continuous data series for trading and analysis. It is not a single, physical contract but a representation of the price history of a commodity.
Top 20:
Rank Company Industry City State Zip Cd Website Employees Revenue CEO
1 Walmart General Merchandisers Bentonville Arkansas 72716 walmart.com 2,100,000 $ 680,985,000,000 Douglas McMillon
2 Amazon Internet Services and Retailing Seattle Washington 98109 amazon.com 1,556,000 $ 637,959,000,000 Andrew Jassy
3 UnitedHealth Health Care: Insurance and Managed Care Eden Prairie Minnesota 55344 unitedhealthgroup.com 400,000 $ 400,278,000,000 Stephen Hemsley
4 Apple Computers, Office Equipment Cupertino California 95014 apple.com 164,000 $ 391,035,000,000 Timothy Cook
5 CVS Health Health Care: Pharmacy and Other Services Woonsocket Rhode Island 02895 cvshealth.com 259,500 $ 372,809,000,000 David Joyner
6 Berkshire Hathaway Insurance: Property and Casualty (Stk) Omaha Nebraska 68131 berkshirehathaway.com 392,400 $ 371,433,000,000 Warren Buffett
7 Alphabet Internet Services and Retailing Mountain View California 94043 abc.xyz 183,323 $ 350,018,000,000 Sundar Pichai
8 Exxon Mobil Petroleum Refining Spring Texas 77389 exxonmobil.com 60,900 $ 349,585,000,000 Darren Woods
9 McKesson Wholesalers: Health Care Irving Texas 75039 mckesson.com 48,000 $ 308,951,000,000 Brian Tyler
10 Cencora Wholesalers: Health Care Conshohocken Pennsylvania 19428 cencora.com 44,000 $ 293,959,000,000 Robert Mauch
11 JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banks New York New York 10179 jpmorganchase.com 317,233 $ 278,906,000,000 James Dimon
12 Costco General Merchandisers Issaquah Washington 98027 costco.com 333,000 $ 254,453,000,000 Ron Vachris
13 Cigna Health Care: Pharmacy and Other Services Bloomfield Connecticut 06002 thecignagroup.com 72,398 $ 247,121,000,000 David Cordani
14 Microsoft Computer Software Redmond Washington 98052 microsoft.com 228,000 $ 245,122,000,000 Satya Nadella
15 Cardinal Health Wholesalers: Health Care Dublin Ohio 43017 cardinalhealth.com 48,411 $ 226,827,000,000 Jason Hollar
16 Chevron Petroleum Refining Houston Texas 77002 chevron.com 45,298 $ 202,792,000,000 Michael Wirth
17 Bank of America Commercial Banks Charlotte North Carolina 28255 bankofamerica.com 213,193 $ 192,434,000,000 Brian Moynihan
18 General Motors Motor Vehicles & Parts Detroit Michigan 48265 gm.com 162,000 $ 187,442,000,000 Mary Barra
19 Ford Motor Motor Vehicles & Parts Dearborn Michigan 48126 ford.com 171,000 $ 184,992,000,000 James Farley Jr.
20 Elevance Health Health Care: Insurance and Managed Care Indianapolis Indiana 46204 elevancehealth.com 103,679 $ 177,011,000,000 Gail Boudreaux
Three top Stock Trade Tools
Pros:
$0 commissions on stocks, ETFs, and options contracts.
Simple, intuitive mobile-first platform, great for beginners.
Fractional shares trading.
Offers a 1-3% match on IRA contributions (with Robinhood Gold).
Cons:
Limited research and analytical tools (not ideal for advanced investors).
Accepts Payment for Order Flow (PFOF), which can raise concerns about best execution.
Limited asset selection (no traditional mutual funds or bonds—only through ETFs)
History of platform outages and trading restrictions during peak volatility.
Pros:
$0 commissions on stocks and ETFs.
Wide range of investments (stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, options, some crypto).
Excellent research and education tools.
Superior order execution (does not use Payment for Order Flow/PFOF).
24/7 customer service and extensive physical branch network.
Cons:
$0.65 per contract fee for options trades.
Mobile app lacks some advanced functionality (e.g., conditional orders) found on desktop platform (Active Trader Pro).
Limited offerings in futures and spot forex.
Interest rate on uninvested cash in standard sweep account can be low (though high-yield options are available).
Pros:
$0 commissions on stocks and ETFs.
Extensive research and a wide range of platforms (including the powerful thinkorswim).
World-class customer service (24/7 and large branch network).
Huge selection of no-transaction-fee mutual funds (thousands).
Cons:
$0.65 per contract fee for options trades.
Low interest earned on uninvested cash in the standard sweep account.
Limited fractional shares (only for S&P 500 stocks).
No direct investment in cryptocurrencies (only through crypto ETFs).
Five top Stock Tracker Tools
TradingView is perhaps the most popular tool for technical analysis and charting.
Key Features:
Best-in-Class Charting: Offers over 100 pre-built technical indicators, smart drawing tools, and highly customizable chart layouts.
Best For: Active traders and technical analysts who prioritize superior charting and community insights.
Black Friday offer:
Essential = $126 for 13 months
Plus = $216 for 13 months
Premium = $217 for 13 months (Best Deal)
Premiup = $576 for 13 months
Thinkorswim (by Charles Schwab)
Thinkorswim (by Charles Schwab)
Thinkorswim is an advanced desktop and mobile platform known for its professional-grade features and integrated brokerage.
Key Features:
Advanced Trading: Includes complex order types, paper money (simulated trading), and powerful options/futures analysis tools.
Customization: Deeply customizable charts, Screener Plus (a real-time scanner), and a proprietary scripting language (thinkScript) for building custom indicators.
All-in-One: Allows you to perform high-level analysis and execute trades within the same platform.
Best For: Advanced traders and serious investors who need professional power and integrated trading.
Finviz is primarily known as one of the most powerful and fastest stock screeners available.
Key Features:
Powerful Screener: Enables rapid filtering of stocks using hundreds of technical, fundamental, and descriptive criteria.
Market Visualization: Features the famous stock map (heatmaps) for a quick visual overview of market and sector performance.
Automated Analysis: Provides automated chart pattern recognition (e.g., triangles, double tops) for quick trend spotting.
Best For: Rapidly scanning the entire market for specific trading patterns, trends, or fundamental criteria.
StockCharts.com is a venerable and highly respected platform focused on education and classic technical charting.
Key Features:
SharpCharts: Offers long-established, reliable charting tools and a user-friendly way to apply different technical indicators.
Educational Content: Features premium articles and commentary from renowned technical analysis experts (e.g., John Murphy) to help you understand trends.
Pre-Built Scans: Provides numerous pre-defined scans (like the "Scanning the Market" section) to quickly find stocks exhibiting certain technical trends.
Best For: Technical analysis purists and those who want high-quality educational content alongside their charts.
Yahoo Finance is an accessible, comprehensive free tool that combines basic charting with powerful news and fundamental data.
Key Features:
News & Data Hub: Provides real-time stock quotes, breaking financial news, company financials, and analyst ratings in one clean interface.
Basic Charting: Offers essential technical indicators (like MACD and RSI) and drawing tools for basic trend analysis.
Watchlists: Excellent for tracking a personalized group of stocks and syncing across devices.
Best For: Beginners and everyday investors who need a fast, reliable source for basic charts, news, and fundamental metrics.
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