Which technology-heavy index reached its dot-com-era peak in March 2000 before the bubble burst?

The Nasdaq Composite reached its dot-com-era peak before the crash that followed in March 2000.

The index closed at 5,048.62 on March 10, 2000, after years of enthusiasm for internet and technology companies. Many firms attracted huge valuations despite limited revenue, profits, or established business models. Investors often treated website traffic and growth projections as more important than traditional measures of value.

After the peak, the Nasdaq fell dramatically as expectations changed, interest rates rose, and investors became less willing to finance unprofitable companies. The decline helped produce the wider dot-com bust, which included bankruptcies, layoffs, and sharp losses in technology shares.

The Nasdaq Composite was not the same thing as the dot-com bubble. It is an index containing thousands of Nasdaq-listed stocks, while the bubble describes a period of speculation. The index later exceeded its 2000 high, but only after many years.