Recently, the total market capitalization of the S&P 500 Index has surpassed the $50 trillion mark, setting a new historical high. Since the current bull market began in 1982, the value of this benchmark index has grown by 50 times. The S&P 500 Index reached an all-time high on Wednesday, and on Thursday it was trading at around 5,770 points, having risen by 21% since 2024.

Howard Silverblatt, a senior index analyst at S&P Global, provided some historical data on the S&P 500, demonstrating the index's significant increase over the past few decades.

Here are some highlights: As of the end of 2023, the market capitalization of the S&P 500 Index was approximately $40 trillion, compared to $27 trillion at the end of 2019. Since the end of 2008, during the market trough of the financial crisis, when the S&P 500's market capitalization was about $8 trillion, the index's market capitalization has grown sixfold. At the end of 1999, when the technology-driven bull market peaked, the S&P 500's market capitalization was $12 trillion, more than five times the level of a decade earlier.

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At the end of 1982, when the current bull market had just begun, the market capitalization of the S&P 500 was $1 trillion. It is generally accepted that the bull market officially began in August 1982. At the end of 1974, during the 1973-1974 bear market, the total market capitalization of the S&P 500 was only about $500 billion. It is worth noting that since then, the market capitalization of the S&P 500 has grown by 100 times. At the end of 1980, energy stocks dominated the stock market, with seven of the top ten market value stocks coming from the oil and gas industry, led by Exxon and Indiana Standard Oil (later Amoco, now part of BP). The "seven giants" of that era were all energy stocks.

The company with the highest market value at the time was the technology leader of the era, IBM (IBM.US), with a market value of $40 billion, which has now exceeded $200 billion.

Silverblatt pointed out that the S&P 500 Index first broke through the 100-point mark on June 4, 1968, but failed to hold this level for a decade, indicating that during the stock market downturn in the 1970s, inflation raged, bond prices plummeted, and commodities such as gold and oil became popular investments.

Silverblatt also noted that the stock price of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A.US) (the current Class A shares) and the S&P 500 Index were both at 100 points in May 1977. Since then, the S&P 500 Index has risen nearly 60 times, while the stock price of Berkshire Hathaway has risen to $680,000, an increase of more than 6,000 times.

In comparison, the market capitalization of the S&P 500 far exceeds that of the S&P MidCap 400 Index (currently with a market capitalization of $3.1 trillion) and the S&P SmallCap 600 Index (with a market capitalization of $1.4 trillion).