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Sensex

S&P BSE SENSEX
Type
Location Mumbai, India
Currency Indian rupee (INR/₹)
Website www.bseindia.com

The S&P BSE SENSEX (S&P Bombay Stock Exchange Sensitive Index), also-called the BSE 30 or simply the SENSEX, is a free-float market-weighted of 30 well-established and financially sound companies listed on . The 30 component companies which are some of the largest and most actively traded stocks, are representative of various industrial sectors of the Indian economy. Published since 1 January 1986, the S&P BSE SENSEX is regarded as the pulse of the domestic stock markets in India. The base value of the S&P BSE SENSEX is taken as 100 on 1 April 1979, and its base year as 1978–79. On 25 July 2001 BSE launched DOLLEX-30, a dollar-linked version of S&P BSE SENSEX. As of 21 April 2011, the market capitalisation of S&P BSE SENSEX was about 29,733 billion (US$460 billion) (47.68% of market capitalisation of BSE), while its free-float market capitalisation was 15,690 billion (US$243 billion). During 2008-12, Sensex 30 Index share of BSE market capitalisation fell from 49% to 25% due to the rise of sectoral indices like BSE PSU, Bankex, BSE-Teck, etc.

The term Sensex was coined by Deepak Mohoni, a stock market analyst. It is a portmanteau of the words Sensitive and Index.

The BSE has some reviews and modifies its composition to be sure it reflects current market conditions. The index is calculated based on a free float capitalisation method, a variation of the market capitalisation method. Instead of using a company's outstanding shares it uses its float, or shares that are readily available for trading.Free Floating capital implies total capitalization less Directors shareholding. As per free float capitalisation methodology, the level of index at any point of time reflects the free float market value of 30 component stocks relative to a base period. The market capitalisation of a company is determined by multiplying the price of its stock by the number of shares issued by of corporate actions, replacement of scrips. The index has increased by over twenty five times from June 1990 to the present. Using information from April 1979 onwards, the long-run rate of return on the S&P BSE SENSEX works out to be 18.6% per annum.

The following is a timeline on the rise of the SENSEX through Indian stock market history.

On 22 May 2006, the SENSEX plunged by 1,100 points during intra-day trading, leading to the suspension of trading for the first time since 17 May 2004. The volatility of the SENSEX had caused investors to lose Rs 6 trillion (US$131 billion) within seven trading sessions. The Finance Minister of India, P. Chidambaram, made an unscheduled press statement when trading was suspended to assure investors that nothing was wrong with the fundamentals of the economy, and advised retail investors to stay invested. When trading resumed after the reassurances of the Reserve Bank of India and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the SENSEX managed to move up 700 points, but still finished the session 457 points in the red.


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