A stock market map, also known as a "market heat map," is an at-a-glance picture of real-time and historical market data. You can use these maps as research tools to view how different market indices perform. They show sectors, asset classes, and stocks. You can compare the stock markets of different countries.
Given the amount of data that these maps provide, values are shown in colors to help you quickly zero in on what you're looking for. The best maps of the market also have features that make research both informative and fun.
Finviz Heatmap
Finviz is one of the best stock market maps. It allows you to view, search, and analyze market data for free in a map or bubble format. It lets you see how a certain market, like the S&P 500, performs. You can look at all markets in a given country or a worldview of global markets.
The bubble version of the map shows stocks in the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, or any index in bubbles of different colors. A pop-up chart appears with stock data when you hover over a bubble, such as payout ratio or average volume.
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You can also narrow the stocks you view by sector, industry, market capitalization, and volume.
StockCharts' Market Maps
SharpCharts is the traditional charting tool. It offers line graphs, bar charts, and other views of individual stocks. Just enter a ticker symbol. Click "Go" to view a chart of how the stock performs. You can also obtain data points, such as low and high share prices, and volume. You can customize the chart with different colors, overlays (moving average, for example), and indicators like dividends.
The MarketCarpet map lets you view charts of data on groups of different securities, such as S&P sector ETFs, market summary, major indexes, cryptocurrencies, Fidelity mutual funds, Rydex mutual funds, ProFunds mutual funds, and S&P/TSX composite.
One section of the SharpCharts map depicts stocks in the market as squares. Another section features a line graph of the stock.
You can change the time frame of the stock map by using the slide bar at the bottom. The line graph updates right away when you click on a square.
Morningstar Market Barometer
Morningstar's free market maps are among the simplest. They provide interactive snapshots of the U.S. and global markets.
The U.S. Market Barometer is a grid that lets you see how nine asset classes have performed compared to each other in areas such as growth, core, value, large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap.
You get detailed data on the risk of the asset class when you click on a square in the grid, and you can see how it performs. The data on the U.S. market is updated each day at market close, but you can also see a mini-map of the asset class over the past day, year, three years, or five years. The tool shows that "the market" is not one cohesive entity that always moves the same.
Use the Global Market Barometer on the same page for a view of the world equities markets. Green regions highlight countries with gains in Morningstar global equities market indexes. Red depicts countries with losses. You can view data in the same time frames as you can in the U.S. Market Barometer.
Yahoo Finance Screeners Stock Market Map
Yahoo Finance offers a free interactive stocks screener heatmap. You can use this feature to keep an eye on the recent performance of 14 types of securities, ranging from undervalued growth stocks to high-yield bonds.
Clicking on a category takes you to a page of stocks that fall into that sector. Click "Heatmap View" for a view of stocks there. Each has a green or red square showing the gains or losses over the past day.
A pop-up appears with detailed information about the stock when you hover over a square: share price, price changes, and market cap.
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Click "Edit" above the map to filter the data in the market. There are 11 categories of filters you can use to narrow down the stocks you see.
Stocktwits' Market Heatmap
Stocktwits' free map of the market lets you watch trends in six key sectors: industrial goods, basic materials, healthcare, financial, consumer goods, and services.
The heat map features squares in five colors representing individual securities in the sector. The map shows price changes over the last hour, six hours, 12 hours, or 24 hours.
The map zooms in on the securities in that sector when you click on a square. Hover over any square to open a pop-up with the price change over the time frame of your choice. Click "Zoom Out" to go back to the sector view of the stock market map.
The Bottom Line
Active traders can gain from the real-time data in maps of the market, such as share price changes and daily trading volume, but market maps can assist the average investor, too.
Stock market maps allow you to get a quick snapshot of a stock's performance before you do deeper research. They can show someone with a long-term investment strategy why diversification matters by detailing how certain sectors and asset classes move up and down over time.
You can use the insights gained from a map of the market to make more informed picks about which securities to add to or remove from your portfolio. This can help you achieve your short- or long-term investment goals.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do you read a heatmap?
Stock maps can be set to display sectors, funds, or individual securities. Each section of the map will include a ticker of what's being tracked, a color, and a number representing the size of the move. This gives you a quick, visual representation of relative performance throughout the market. You could also learn this by comparing bar charts, but a glance at a map can give you the same general information.
Why is the stock market down today?
Many factors influence the stock market simultaneously, so it's usually difficult to pin any specific move on its exact cause. Technically, the stock market goes down when there are fewer buyers than sellers. When supply outweighs demand, market forces push down prices.
