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The S&P 500 ended 2020 with a gain of 16.26% for the year and closed the record high on Thursday, a remarkable performance after a drastic sale in February and March.
Some of the names in the broad market index had particularly strong years, with six stocks gaining more than 100%.
Main actions of S&P 500 of 2020
| Ticker | Company | 2020 price refund |
|---|---|---|
| TSLA | Tesla | 743.1% |
| ETSY | Etsy | 301.6% |
| NVDA | Nvidia | 121.9% |
| PYPL | PayPal | 116.5% |
| LB | L Brands | 105.5% |
| WHITE | Albermarle Corp. | 102.1% |
| AMD | Advanced micro devices | 99.8% |
| FCX | Freeport-McMoRan | 98.6% |
The rise of the S&P 500 would have been even more dramatic if the top two names on the list had started the year on the index. Both electric vehicle maker Tesla and e-commerce company Etsy joined the S&P 500 for the past four months of the year.
These stocks also represent two of the main issues in the market this year, as green energy-linked stocks had strong years, as did those like Etsy, which were well-equipped for a home world.
The top eight performers also include two semiconductor stocks at Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices. It was a strong year for the broadly speaking sector, with the PHLX Semiconductor index rising 51%, surpassing even the Nasdaq Composite, a very heavy technology.
The S&P 500 is a weighted group in the large-cap stock market in the United States and is the benchmark against which many professional investors are measured. Many publicly traded funds and investments compare to the S&P 500, with more than $ 11 trillion tied to or compared to the December 2019 index, according to the S&P Dow Jones indices.
Index components are usually mixed year-round by an S&P Dow Jones Indices committee. The organization announced Wednesday that Enphase Energy would join the index on Jan. 7, replacing Tiffany & Co., which is acquiring LVMH.