Stocks end year with a slight dip

The Thomson Reuters’ Post-Venture Capital Index (PVCI), which surged early in the year and fell during the summer doldrums, ended the year on Dec. 31 at 910.57 points, a 8.16 drop from the month before.

For the year, the PVCI fell 157.21 points since Jan. 1,  when it stood at 1067.84. The index reached a peak of 1098.36 at the end of February and has gone up and down throughout the year, mirroring the general stock market.

At the end of December, the index was comprised of 548 companies. Of the stocks tracked, 289 gained in value while 259 declined in value.

The top three companies in terms of market value were Facebook, Kinder Morgan and Baidu. 

The biggest gainers month-over-month, based on percentage change, were NephroGenex, Bluebird Bio, SemiLEDs and Auspex Pharmaceuticals.

The largest laggards month-over-month, based on percentage change, were Tengion, UniTek Global Services and Body Central.

What is the PVCI?

The PVCI tracks VC-backed stocks beginning at when they go public. It is a market-valued index that measures the performance of public stocks of companies that have raised financing.

Companies remain in the index for 10 years from the IPO date or until price data is no longer available, they are acquired or removed from a publicly traded exchange.

The index is calculated daily and does not take into account dividends. It began in January 1986 with an initialized index value of 100