The Nikkei Index is the leading stock index in Japan. It is often considered the Dow Jones Industrial Average of Japan; in fact, from 1975 to 1985 the Nikkei Index was known as the Nikkei Dow-Jones Stock Price Average The Nikkei Index includes some 225 Japanese blue chip companies traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Thus the Nikkei Index is also known as the Nikkei 225; more often, it is simply called "the Nikkei." The Nikkei Index is designed to reflect the overall market, so there is no specific weighting of industries. Notably, the components of the Nikkei Index are reviewed annually, and any changes are announced at the beginning of the October. The Nikkei Index has been calculated continuously since September 7, 1950; beginning in 1971, the Nikkei Index has been published by the Nihon Keizai Shinbun (Japan Economy Newspaper) Company. In the twentieth century, the Nikkei Index peaked at 38,915 on December 29, 1989, and then fell rapidly as the so-called Japanese bubble economy burst. |
