World Stock Market Heatmap

Each tile is the day's percentage change of a fund that tracks one country's stock market. Instead of the local indices, which close at different times and trade in different currencies, this map uses US-listed country ETFs. They all trade during US hours in US dollars, so every tile is live and comparable at the same moment, rather than mixing a live Nikkei with a closed FTSE and a pre-open S&P 500.

The trade-off is worth stating plainly: when a foreign market is closed, its ETF reflects the US-hours estimate of that market plus the currency move, not the exact local index print. So a tile answers "how is that market doing, as a dollar investor sees it right now" rather than "what did the local index close at." For the exact local indices in real time, the live dashboard shows the FTSE, DAX, Nikkei, Hang Seng and more directly.

• Mostly green vs mostly red tells you the day's risk mood at a glance, before any single number.
• One region red while others are green flags a localized story, an election, a rate decision, a currency move, rather than a global one.
• Brightness separates a quiet drift from a real move: a pale tile is noise, a saturated one is a day worth reading about.
• Position never changes. Within each region the markets sit in order of influence, biggest first, so the United States, China and the United Kingdom lead their rows every day. Once you know where a country sits you can find it without reading, and the barometer on the right gives the whole board's average in one number.

Colour is never the only signal: every tile also shows the country, the percentage and the ticker, so the map is readable without relying on red-green vision.

How are world stock markets doing today?

The map above is the answer, live: green markets are up on the day, red are down, brighter means a bigger move, grouped by region and refreshed about once a minute while the US market is open.

Where can I track international markets for free?

Here, and on the Global Markets Dashboard. This map covers the international market as a whole: every major national market across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific, side by side and comparable, because each tile is priced in the same currency and the same trading session. The dashboard adds the local indices themselves in real time, and the exchange clocks show which of the world's markets are open right now. All free, no sign-up.

What does the world market heatmap measure?

Each tile is the day's percentage change of a US-listed exchange-traded fund that tracks that country's stock market, for example SPY for the United States, EWJ for Japan, EWG for Germany and MCHI for China. Using country ETFs rather than the local indices means every tile trades on a US exchange in one currency and one session, so the tiles are directly comparable and refresh together. A tile therefore reflects that market as a US-dollar investor sees it, which combines the local index move and the currency move.

Why use country ETFs instead of the local indices like the FTSE or Nikkei?

Local indices close at different times in different currencies, so comparing them live is misleading. US-listed country ETFs all trade in US hours and dollars, so the tiles stay comparable. For the exact local indices in real time, use the dashboard.

What do green and red mean on the heatmap?

Green up, red down, intensity scaling with the move and saturating near plus or minus 2.5 percent on Today and plus or minus 6 percent on the 7-day view, because a week travels further than a day and reusing the day scale would paint almost every tile fully saturated. Near-flat markets show neutral. The number and country are written on every tile too.

Can I see how world markets did over the past week?

Yes. The Today / 7 days toggle above the map switches every tile to its change over the past week, measured from the snapshot taken at the US open seven days back against the current price. If the history does not reach back far enough the map stays on Today and says so, rather than showing a day move under a weekly label. A 30-day view follows once enough history has accumulated.

Is this world market heatmap free and real-time?

Yes, free and no signup, refreshing roughly once a minute while the US market is open and showing the last close when markets are shut.

• The live dashboard: indices, crypto, FX, commodities and yields streaming on one screen, with the exact local indices in real time.
• How the markets move each other: why a red day in one region often spreads, through rates, the dollar and risk sentiment.
• Financial markets guide: what every instrument on the dashboard means.