Wilshire 5000

The Wilshire 5000 Index was created by Wilshire Associates in 1974. At the time, they were tracking 5000 stocks, hence the name Wilshire 5000. The Wilshire 5000 Index now includes much more than 5000 companies. The Wilshire 5000 Index is a comprehensive market capitalization-weighted index that intends to measure the performance of all U.S. equity securities. The Wilshire 5000 Index thus provides the pulse of the entire US stock market. To be included in the Wilshire 5000 Index, companies must be a US based company, be mainly traded on US exchanges, have issued equity in the form of a REIT, common stock, or limited partnership, and have readily available price data. Also known as the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index or the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Equity Index, the Wilshire 5000 Index is one the most widely followed indices. First published by Barron's in 1975, the Wilshire 5000 Index is now reported on daily by virtually all major publications and media sources.