Venture-backed stock index gains nearly 279 points in February

The Thomson Reuters’ Post-Venture Capital Index (PVCI) finished the month of February at 1289.79, it’s highest mark since August 2000 when it stood at 1343.

The Feb. 28 index value represented a gain of 278.45 points, or 27.5 percent, compared with the 1011.34 mark at the end of January 2016.

At the end of February, the PVCI was comprised of 367 companies. Of the stocks tracked, 212 advanced in value during the month while 155 declined. The number of companies in the index rises and falls, depending on new issues or as the companies fold or are acquired. Also, companies remain in the index for only 10 years.

A total of 53 of the advancing stocks at the end of February were in biotech, while computer software saw 39 companies advance. The largest group of decliners was also in computer software with 40.

Facebook, as it typically does each month, ranked as the company with top market value, as of Feb. 28.

The PVCI measures the performance of public stocks, tracking VC-backed companies beginning at the time when they go public.

The index is calculated daily and does not take into account dividends.

It began in January 1986 with an initialized index value of 100.

Download Data in Excel: PVCI as of Feb. 28, 2017

Photo of a Wall Street sign is pictured outside the NYSE courtesy of Reuters/Carlo Allegri