Which technology-focused market index fell sharply when the dot-com bubble burst in 2000?

The Nasdaq Composite fell sharply when the dot-com bubble burst in 2000.

The index is associated with technology and growth companies because Nasdaq became a major listing venue for electronics, software, telecommunications, and internet businesses. During the late 1990s, investors bid up shares of companies with internet-related names or ambitious online plans, even when many had little revenue or no profits.

The Nasdaq Composite reached a then-record closing high of 5,048.62 on March 10, 2000. It subsequently declined dramatically as investors questioned unrealistic valuations, rising interest rates, and weak business models. The downturn spread beyond internet start-ups and damaged technology companies more broadly.

The Nasdaq Composite is an index, not a single company and not the Nasdaq stock exchange itself. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 also fell during the wider bear market, but the Nasdaq was the clearest barometer of the technology-stock boom and collapse.