Nasdaq-100

Nasdaq-100®: Trend Tracker
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Nasdaq-100®: Trend Tracker
Weighted Average Annual R&D Expense
$13.1B NDX®
$7.7B SPX
Source: Nasdaq, Factset. Data as of 12/31/2021.
Top 10 Key Areas for Patent Filing within Disruptive Tech
62 companies in the Nasdaq-100® (representing 85.6% of index weight) recently filed patents across one or more of 34 key areas of Disruptive Technology such as Artificial Intelligence, Clean Energy, or Blockchain.
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3D Graphics
46.9%
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Natural Language Processing*
37.8%
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Wearable Technology
35.8%
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Cloud Computing
35.2%
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Virtual Reality Augmented Reality
31.2%
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Deep Learning
30.60%
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Big Data
30.4%
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Speech Recognition Chatbots
29.7%
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Cyber Security
27.6%
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Bioinformatics
22.3%
*21 companies in the Nasdaq-100® filed at least 1 patent relating to Natural Language Processing (NLP) in our 12-month. study period, and collectively filed 38% o f all such patents. Amazon, Google, Apple, Baidu & Microsoft together accounted for 31% of all NLP patent activity.
Source: Nasdaq as of December 31, 2021; Yewno as of November 30, 2021
Growth in Global Aggregate Value of Patents Among Publicly Listed Companies, 2007-2021
The current crop of Nasdaq-100® constituents has grown the value of their patents by ~10x since May 2007, vs. ~3.4x across all publicly-listed, tracked companies globally. Growth for the S&P 500 overall was ~5x, but only ~3.5x excluding the contribution of overlapping Nasdaq-100® firms. Global growth ex-US was only ~3x.
- Global
- US
- NDX®
- SPX
Source: Nasdaq. Data as of 12/31/2021.
Nasdaq-100®: Trend Tracker
Exposure Overview
The Nasdaq-100® Index contains substantial exposures to multiple relevant investment themes, particularly within Disruptive Technology as defined by the patent-driven methodology of the Nasdaq Yewno Global Disruptive Tech Benchmark Index.
86% of Index Weight From Companies Engaged in Disruptive Technology
- Disruptive Tech
- Other Thematic
- None
- Nasdaq-100®: 62 Companies Engaged in Disruptive Technology
- 18 Companies with Other Thematic Exposure
- 20 Companies Lacking Disruptive Tech or Other Thematic Exposure

Source: Nasdaq, Bloomberg, FactSet. Data as of 12/31/2021. Based on overlap with Nasdaq Yewno Global Disruptive Technology Benchmark Index.
Nasdaq-100® by Thematic Exposures: # of Constituents per Theme
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Water
1
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Green Economy
6
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Smart Grid Infrastructure
6
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Clean Energy
1
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Digital Health
2
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Healthcare Innovation
5
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Biotech
8
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Cybersecurity
8
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Future Mobility
7
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Robotics
19
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AI / Big Data
26
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Cloud Computing
17
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Semiconductors
16
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Internet Economy
16
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5G
15
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Streaming
7
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FinTech Innovation
3
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Video Gaming / eSports & Betting
5
Source: Nasdaq, Bloomberg, FactSet. Data as of 12/31/2021. Based on overlap with existing Nasdaq Thematic Indexes, except for Digital Health, Healthcare Innovation, 5G, Streaming, and Video Gaming/eSports & Betting where competitor products were analyzed.
Nasdaq-100® by Thematic Exposures: Index Weight per Theme
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Water
0.4%
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Green Economy
7.8%
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Smart Grid Infrastructure
12.1%
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Clean Energy
4.2%
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Digital Health
0.7%
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Healthcare Innovation
2.0%
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Biotech
3.8%
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Cybersecurity
3.6%
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Future Mobility
23.1%
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Robotics
40.7%
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AI / Big Data
63.4%
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Cloud Computing
33.0%
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Semiconductors
16.2%
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Internet Economy
26.8%
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5G
33.8%
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Streaming
29.1%
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FinTech Innovation
2.2%
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Video Gaming / eSports & Betting
6.1%
Source: Nasdaq, Bloomberg, FactSet. Data as of 12/31/2021. Based on overlap with existing Nasdaq Thematic Indexes, except for Digital Health, Healthcare Innovation, 5G, Streaming, and Video Gaming/eSports & Betting where competitor products were analyzed.
Nasdaq-100®: Trend Tracker
ESG Sustainalytics Risk Score Comparison
As the industry standard for ESG research and ratings, an index's or company's Sustainalytics ESG Risk Rating is an excellent indicator of its exposure to industry-specific material ESG risks, and how well it is managing them. Sustainalytics calculates each score by identifying five categories of ESG risk severity that could impact enterprise value, and employing a multi-dimensial way of measuring ESG risk - through a combined methodology of weighing both management and exposure to risk - to arrive at an absolute assessment of ESG risk. The lower the score, the better, and the lower the risk.
Index | Benchmark | Number of Securities | Exclusion from Benchmark |
Nasdaq-100® ESG Index | Nasdaq-100 Index® | 93 | 8% |
S&P 500 ESG Index | S&P 500 Index | 309 | 39% |
Weighted Average
Sustainalytics ESG Risk Score
Nasdaq-100 Index®
Simple Average
Sustainalytics ESG Risk Score
Nasdaq-100 Index®
- Low 10-20
- Medium 20-30
- High 30-40
- Severe 40+
Data as of 1/31/2022.
Sources: Sustainalytics, FactSet, Bloomberg, Nasdaq Global Indexes.
ESG Sustainalytics Risk Score Comparison
As the industry standard for ESG research and ratings, an index's or company's Sustainalytics ESG Risk Rating is an excellent indicator of its exposure to industry-specific material ESG risks, and how well it is managing them. Sustainalytics calculates each score by identifying five categories of ESG risk severity that could impact enterprise value, and employing a multi-dimensial way of measuring ESG risk - through a combined methodology of weighing both management and exposure to risk - to arrive at an absolute assessment of ESG risk. The lower the score, the better, and the lower the risk.
Index | Number of Securities |
Nasdaq-100 Index® | 101 |
S&P 500 Index | 505 |
Weighted Average
Sustainalytics ESG Risk Score
Nasdaq-100 Index®
Simple Average
Sustainalytics ESG Risk Score
Nasdaq-100 Index®
- Low 10-20
- Medium 20-30
- High 30-40
- Severe 40+
Data as of 1/31/2022.
Sources: Sustainalytics, FactSet, Bloomberg, Nasdaq Global Indexes.
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Research & Development
R&D is a key driver of innovation and growth for the Nasdaq-100®. Companies in the index spend nearly twice as much in R&D, on average, compared to those in the S&P 500. The elevated rate of R&D within the Nasdaq-100® has led to an exponential increase in the value the patent portfolios of listed companies, well outpacing the S&P 500 and global averages.
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Disruptive Tech
From AI & Big Data to Robotics to Cloud Computing, Semiconductors, Cybersecurity and more, disruptive tech is a dominant theme within NDX®. As of year-end 2021, 86% of the index’s weight was attributable to companies engaged in one of more of these key investment themes.
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Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG)
As ESG efforts—such as climate change and social consciousness—have solidified their place at the forefront of investment decision-making, corporate commitment to these efforts has changed significantly. Overall, the Nasdaq-100® has seen lower (better) ESG risk scores than the S&P 500, indicating the collective consciousness of the Index trending toward ESG.
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