what is the stock symbol for nasdaq

what is the stock symbol for nasdaq

Quick answer: The phrase "what is the stock symbol for nasdaq" can refer to three different things — the Nasdaq Composite index, the Nasdaq-100 index, or Nasdaq, Inc. (the company that runs the exchange). Each has different ticker symbols across platforms (examples include COMP, ^IXIC, NDX, and NDAQ). This guide explains the differences, the vendor conventions you’ll encounter, and how to pick the correct symbol for your data or trading needs.

Meanings and common interpretations

People asking "what is the stock symbol for nasdaq" are often unclear whether they mean an index that tracks Nasdaq-listed stocks or the company that operates the Nasdaq exchange. The three primary interpretations are:

• The Nasdaq Composite — a broad, capitalization-weighted index covering most stocks listed on the Nasdaq exchange.
• The Nasdaq-100 — a market-cap-weighted subset of the largest 100 non-financial companies listed on Nasdaq.
• Nasdaq, Inc. — the publicly traded company that owns and operates the Nasdaq stock exchange and related businesses.

Each meaning uses distinct ticker symbols depending on the data provider or trading venue. Below we explain each meaning, the common tickers you’ll see, and practical guidance for selecting the right symbol.

Nasdaq Composite (broad market index)

Overview

The Nasdaq Composite is a widely followed capitalization-weighted index that tracks the performance of the majority of stocks listed on the Nasdaq exchange. It is commonly referenced when discussing performance of technology and growth stocks because many technology companies are listed on Nasdaq.

As of 2025-12-30, according to Nasdaq.com and major financial data providers, the Composite remains one of the primary U.S. market indices used to measure market performance.

Common ticker symbols

When people ask "what is the stock symbol for nasdaq" and mean the Composite, you will commonly encounter these symbols:

• COMP — often used on Nasdaq's official website and by some market data vendors to represent the Nasdaq Composite index.
• ^IXIC — the symbol used by Yahoo Finance and some retail platforms to denote the Nasdaq Composite index.
• .IXIC or ^.IXIC — vendor or platform-specific variants seen on services such as CNBC and other market data feeds.

These symbols all represent the same conceptual index (the Nasdaq Composite) but are formatted differently by providers for historical or system reasons.

Data provider conventions

Different data platforms use different symbol conventions. Typical reasons and examples:

• Prefixes such as ^ or a leading dot (.) are commonly applied to index tickers to distinguish them from equity tickers in platform databases. For example, Yahoo Finance shows the Composite as ^IXIC, while CNBC displays .IXIC in its quotes pages.
• Nasdaq.com often publishes index data and charts under COMP, aligning with the exchange’s internal naming.
• Institutional vendors and terminals may use a different index identifier or a vendor-specific code.

Because of these differences, when you search for "what is the stock symbol for nasdaq" it’s essential to verify which provider or platform the question refers to.

Nasdaq-100 (large non-financial Nasdaq companies)

Overview

The Nasdaq-100 is an index that tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange. It concentrates exposure in the largest technology, consumer, healthcare, and other growth-oriented firms listed on Nasdaq.

The Nasdaq-100 is a common benchmark for investors seeking concentrated exposure to large-cap, non-financial Nasdaq listings. It is also the underlying index for popular ETFs and futures contracts.

Common ticker symbols

When the question "what is the stock symbol for nasdaq" intends the Nasdaq-100, expect these tickers and related tradable instruments:

• NDX — frequently used as the index symbol in many platforms for the Nasdaq-100.
• US100 or NASDAQ:NDX — platform-specific ways to indicate the same index across international terminals.
• QQQ — not the index itself but the ticker of a widely used ETF (Invesco QQQ Trust) that seeks to replicate the performance of the Nasdaq-100 and is tradable by investors.

Practical note: indices such as the Nasdaq-100 are not directly tradable. Traders and investors typically use ETFs (e.g., QQQ) or futures/options linked to the index for actual market exposure.

Nasdaq, Inc. (the company)

Overview

Nasdaq, Inc. is the corporate entity that owns and operates the Nasdaq stock exchange and a suite of marketplace and technology businesses (including listing services, market data, and corporate solutions). When someone asks "what is the stock symbol for nasdaq" they might mean the company itself — i.e., the equity that trades like other public companies.

Company stock ticker

• NDAQ — the publicly traded stock ticker for Nasdaq, Inc., listed on the Nasdaq exchange. When quoted in broker screens or on financial websites you will often see it as NDAQ or NASDAQ:NDAQ.

As of 2025-12-30, Nasdaq, Inc. continues to trade under the ticker NDAQ on the Nasdaq exchange, per Nasdaq’s corporate filings and company pages.

Alternate and vendor-specific symbols

Federal Reserve / economic databases

Some economic or macro data services use their own series codes for index time series. For example:

• NASDAQCOM — the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) series code often used to provide a historical timeseries for the Nasdaq Composite index.

These codes are helpful when pulling macroeconomic series from government or institutional data repositories.

Bloomberg, Refinitiv, and other vendors

Enterprise-grade terminals and data vendors use proprietary symbol conventions. Examples of vendor-specific behavior:

• Bloomberg may use an index identifier format that includes the index name and a suffix (often documented in the terminal). Traders using a Bloomberg terminal should use the terminal’s symbol lookup tool to find the correct identifier.
• Refinitiv (previously Thomson Reuters) and other vendors also provide symbol lookup tools and may present slightly different tickers or suffixes for exchange data.

If you are using a professional data terminal, check the vendor symbol guide or the built-in search to confirm the exact code.

How to determine the correct symbol to use

Decide whether you need an index, ETF, or company share

Ask yourself: are you looking for an informative market index (non-tradable), a tradable security that tracks the index (ETF/future), or the corporate stock of the exchange operator?

• If your goal is research or charting market breadth or performance, use the index symbol (e.g., ^IXIC, COMP, or NDX).
• If you want tradable exposure, identify the ETF or derivative (e.g., QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100; there are also futures products and other ETFs that track components or weights).
• If you want to analyze or trade the company running the exchange, search for the equity ticker NDAQ.

This simple decision resolves most ambiguity when people ask "what is the stock symbol for nasdaq."

Use provider lookup tools and official sources

Always confirm the symbol in the platform where you will place orders or pull data:

• Use the official exchange website or the exchange’s published symbol lists for indices and company tickers.
• Use your data provider’s symbol lookup/search feature (Yahoo Finance search, platform quote search, terminal lookup, or the exchange’s market activity pages).
• Check the ETF issuer’s documentation if you are using an ETF to gain index exposure.

As of 2025-12-30, platform pages such as Nasdaq.com list the Composite under COMP and Nasdaq, Inc. under the ticker NDAQ. Yahoo Finance uses ^IXIC for the Composite, illustrating the need to verify symbols per platform.

Common confusions and FAQs

Q: Is the Nasdaq Composite a stock I can buy?

A: No. The Nasdaq Composite is an index — an informational measure of the combined value of many Nasdaq-listed stocks. You cannot directly buy an index. Instead, you can buy ETFs, futures, or options that aim to replicate or provide exposure to the index.

Q: Why do I see different symbols for the same index?

A: Different data providers and exchanges use symbol conventions that reflect their internal databases and historical formats. Prefixes like ^ or . are used by many platforms to indicate index instruments and avoid ticker collisions with equities.

Q: Which ticker should I use if I want to trade Nasdaq exposure?

A: If you want tradable exposure to the Nasdaq-100, commonly used tickers include ETF tickers such as QQQ (tracks the Nasdaq-100). For the Composite, there are fewer single ETFs that track the entire Composite; investors typically use targeted ETFs or baskets linked to the Composite’s characteristics. Always confirm with your trading platform or broker.

Q: If I want to follow Nasdaq the company, what symbol is that?

A: Nasdaq, Inc. trades as NDAQ on the Nasdaq exchange.

Historical notes and symbol evolution

Index and vendor symbol formats have evolved over time for technical and legacy reasons. Historically, different services adopted their own conventions to avoid symbol collisions and to categorize instruments (for example, adding a caret ^ or dot prefix for indices). Because of these legacy choices, the same underlying index may appear under multiple symbols across providers.

Data governance and ticker changes can also occur if indices are reconstituted, renamed, or proprietary wrappers are introduced by data vendors. For these reasons, the most reliable approach is to use the symbol lookup provided by your chosen data source and to cross-check with official exchange documentation.

Practical examples and platform mappings

Below are common mappings you will encounter when you search for "what is the stock symbol for nasdaq" on popular platform families. These examples illustrate that the same conceptual item can have multiple identifiers.

• Nasdaq Composite

  • Nasdaq.com: COMP
  • Yahoo Finance: ^IXIC
  • CNBC and some vendors: .IXIC or ^.IXIC
  • FRED (economic database): NASDAQCOM (timeseries)

• Nasdaq-100

  • Common index identifier: NDX
  • Platform variants: US100, NASDAQ:NDX
  • Tradable ETF (tracks NDX): QQQ (ETF ticker — tradable)

• Nasdaq, Inc. (company)

  • Equity ticker: NDAQ (listed on the Nasdaq exchange)
  • Quoted as NASDAQ:NDAQ in many broker pages and data feeds

These mappings are accurate for research as of 2025-12-30; always re-check your platform’s current listing.

How data provider differences affect research and trading

• Charting: If you pull historical charts, ensure the symbol you select corresponds to the exact series you want. For example, ^IXIC on Yahoo Finance shows the Composite; COMP on Nasdaq.com shows the same index but the data feed formatting and API may differ.
• Backtests and models: Use a consistent data source when running backtests; mixing providers that use different tickers and possibly different dividend or corporate action adjustments can skew results.
• Order execution: Index tickers (e.g., COMP, ^IXIC) are informational. Only trade in tradable securities (equities, ETFs, futures). When you see a symbol that looks like an index, do not attempt to place an equity order for it — instead find the ETF, option, or future product if you seek exposure.

Steps to confirm the right symbol on your platform (quick checklist)

1. Identify whether you want an index, an ETF/future, or the company stock.
2. Use the platform’s symbol search to find matches (enter full name and check results).
3. Confirm instrument type (index vs. ETF vs. equity vs. future).
4. Check exchange and currency denomination if applicable.
5. Verify with the provider’s official documentation or symbol lookup tool.

Following this checklist reduces the chances of selecting the wrong symbol when confronted with the question "what is the stock symbol for nasdaq."

Common use cases and which symbol to pick

• Market commentary or macro analysis: Use the Nasdaq Composite symbol appropriate to your provider (e.g., ^IXIC or COMP) for index-level views.
• Portfolio overweight to large-cap growth: Use Nasdaq-100 (NDX) for benchmarking; for tradable exposure, consider ETFs that track NDX (e.g., QQQ).
• Company research on the exchange operator: Use NDAQ for Nasdaq, Inc.

See also

• Nasdaq (company) — company overview and investor relations (search for NDAQ in your data provider).
• Nasdaq Composite index — index methodology and components (search for COMP or ^IXIC).
• Nasdaq-100 index — methodology and component list (NDX).
• QQQ ETF — commonly used tradable instrument to gain Nasdaq-100 exposure.
• Ticker symbol conventions — how prefixes, suffixes, and vendor identifiers are applied.

References

• Nasdaq.com — official index pages and company information (COMP and NDAQ listings). As of 2025-12-30, Nasdaq.com lists the Composite under COMP and Nasdaq, Inc. under NDAQ.
• Yahoo Finance — index and equity pages (e.g., ^IXIC for Nasdaq Composite). As of 2025-12-30, Yahoo Finance uses ^IXIC for the Composite index.
• CNBC — market quotes and index pages (commonly shows .IXIC for Nasdaq Composite). As of 2025-12-30, CNBC’s quotes reflect vendor-specific symbol formats such as .IXIC.
• Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) — series NASDAQCOM for historical Composite timeseries. As of 2025-12-30, FRED lists NASDAQCOM as the Nasdaq Composite series identifier.
• Trading and market-data vendors (e.g., popular trading terminals) — vendor symbol lookup tools and documentation (vendor-specific conventions vary; use the terminal lookup to confirm exact codes).

(Reporting note: As of 2025-12-30, the symbol mappings and vendor conventions referenced above were confirmed via the respective provider pages and symbol documentation.)

Additional tips and best practices

• Bookmark the symbol lookup or market activity page of the primary exchange you use to check index and company tickers quickly.
• When saving watchlists, include both the index identifier (for reference) and any tradable ETF or equity you might trade to avoid confusion.
• For automated data pulls, hard-code the provider-specific symbol only after verifying it returns the expected series — then document which provider the symbol corresponds to.

Avoiding costly mistakes

Many errors stem from treating an index ticker as a tradable instrument. Always verify the instrument type and, if necessary, map the index to a tradable proxy (ETF, future) before placing trades. When in doubt, use your trading platform’s help or symbol lookup and verify instrument details such as exchange, currency, and instrument type.

Final notes and next steps

If your immediate need was simply to answer "what is the stock symbol for nasdaq" then:

• For the Nasdaq Composite (broad index): look for COMP on Nasdaq.com or ^IXIC on Yahoo Finance (provider-dependent).
• For the Nasdaq-100 (large non-financial companies): look for NDX (index) and QQQ for a widely used ETF that tracks it.
• For Nasdaq, Inc. (the company): the equity ticker is NDAQ on the Nasdaq exchange.

Want to explore further? Use your platform’s symbol lookup tool to confirm the exact identifier used there, and if you’re looking for tradable exposure, compare ETF or futures options. To stay within a single reliable platform for trading and wallet services, consider exploring Bitget’s market tools and Bitget Wallet for portfolio tracking and custody support. Discover more platform features and how to map index research to tradable instruments on Bitget’s help center or market pages.

As of 2025-12-30, according to the exchange and major data providers referenced above, these symbol conventions are current. Always re-check your provider’s listings for the latest identifiers and instrument details.