Share prices

Share price indices are calculated from the prices of common shares of companies traded on national or foreign stock exchanges. They are usually determined by the stock exchange, using the closing daily values for the monthly data, and normally expressed as simple arithmetic averages of the daily data. A share price index measures how the value of the stocks in the index is changing, a share return index tells the investor what their “return” is, meaning how much money they would make as a result of investing in that basket of shares. A price index measures changes in the market capitalisation of the basket of shares in the index whereas a return index adds on to the price index the value of dividend payments, assuming they are re-invested in the same stocks. Occasionally agencies such as central banks will compile share indices.