Apple and Nvidia reach record 15 percent of S&P 500 index

Apple and Nvidia together now make up more than 15% of the S&P 500, the highest share any two companies have ever held in the index. The S&P 500 tracks 500 large American companies and is the main measure of the U.S. stock market. Because these two stocks carry so much weight, their price movements strongly affect the whole index. Apple's share price hit a record high of $345 on Tuesday, and Nvidia's price has also risen sharply in recent months. For comparison, Microsoft and General Electric together reached only 9.1% during the dot-com bubble, the previous record for two stocks. This means just two companies now have more influence over the U.S. market than ever before.