Every December, Nasdaq, which operates the Nasdaq Stock Exchange and exchanges in the United States and Europe, updates its flagship Nasdaq 100 index.

Established in 1985, the index includes 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, with the key variable being the market capitalization of each stock.

💰💸 Don’t miss the move: Sign up for TheStreet’s FREE daily newsletter 💰💸

The index is up 29.4% in 2024 (after a 53.8% gain in 2023) and is very popular because its members include all the top technology stocks, including Apple (AAPL) NVIDIA (NVDA) Microsoft (MSFT) Amazon.com (AMZN) Metaplatforms (META) Google parent alphabet (GOOGL) And (GOOGL) and Tesla (TSLA) .

Related: Analyst Who Correctly Said Apple Stock Would Rise Updates Outlook

Three stocks will be added to the index before the market opens on Monday, December 23rd. All three have posted huge gains so far in 2024 and are among the largest market capitalizations of non-Nasdaq-100 companies.

The following have joined the index:

Palantir (PLTR) the Denver company that specializes in software for analyzing large amounts of data. Co-founder of Alex Karp, Peter Thiel and others.

Its original customers included the U.S. government, but the company has expanded to work with corporate clients and others. The Palantir Gotham product is an intelligence and defense tool used by military and analysts to combat terrorism.

Related: Here’s what a veteran trader who predicted Palantir’s stock rally is saying now

• Market capitalization: $173.3 billion.

• Share price as of December 13: $76.07, up 3.9% intraday.

• Year-to-date change: 343%.

Microstrategy (MSTR) Based in suburban Washington, DC, the company specializes in business intelligence, mobile software and cloud-based services.

It is also known as a proxy for Bitcoin due to its massive holdings of the cryptocurrency. According to BitBO.IO, the company had invested $23.4 billion buying 423,650 bitcoins as of Friday. Average price per Bitcoin: $58,219. Current value of holdings: $43.1 billion.

• Market capitalization: $97.9 billion.

• Share price as of December 13: $408.67, up 4.2% intraday.

• Year-to-date change: 547%.

Axon Enterprise (AAXN) the Scottsdale, Arizona-based company that develops technology and weapons for military, law enforcement and civilian use. Its best-known product is the Taser, the electronic shock system.

• Market capitalization: $49.2 billion.

• Share price as of December 13: $644.91, up 1.3% on the day.

• Change since the beginning of the year: 149.7%.

The story continues

These three stocks will be removed from the index but will remain listed on Nasdaq.

Illumina (ILMN) the San Diego-based developer of genetic research products.

• Market capitalization: $22.8 billion.

• Share price as of December 13: $143.87, up 1.75% intraday.

• Change since the beginning of the year: 6.22%.

Other Wall Street Analysts:

Super microcomputer (SMCI) the manufacturer of high-end computers for processing artificial intelligence data. The company’s share price was hit by ongoing concerns about the quality of its accounting and financial reports. Ernst & Young resigned as the company’s auditors in October.

Related: Super Micro’s stock price rises after major decision

• Market capitalization: $21.3 billion.

• Share price as of December 13: $36.45, up 3.9% on the day.

• Change since the beginning of the year: -73.1%

Moderna (MRNA) the developer of drugs to prevent the Covid-19 virus. As the pandemic has subsided, the company’s sales have declined.

• Market capitalization: $16.1 billion.

• Share price as of December 13: $41.83, up 2.3% intraday.

• Change since the beginning of the year: -57.9%.

The Nasdaq-100 is the basis of the Invesco QQQ Trust QQQwhich aims to achieve results in line with those of the index. The results are before costs.

Nasdaq’s moves come ahead of the quadruple hit on December 20. Hexing is the simultaneous expiration of four financial contracts: stock options, stock index options, stock index futures and individual stock futures.

The Quadruple Witchcraft typically results in massive market activity in the last hour of the expiration date.

Related: The 10 Best Investing Books (According to Stock Market Pros)