Home Compare CME vs NDAQ
Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Financial Data & Stock Exchang

CME Group vs Nasdaq: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

CME holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and stability adding further support. Nasdaq does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. The market setup is broadly comparable for both — no clear directional signal from price behavior. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

This is not just a one-metric split: both profitability and stability materially support the lead. The overall score gap is 20 points in favour of CME Group Inc..

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Financial Data & Stock Exchanges

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. CME and NDAQ share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how CME and Nasdaq each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
CME
CME Group Inc.
72
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
NDAQ
Nasdaq, Inc.
52
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: CME vs NDAQ Profitability 78 52 Stability 78 56 Valuation 67 53 Growth 64 47 CME NDAQ
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +26
#2 Stability +22
#3 Growth +17
#4 Valuation +14
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CME and NDAQ Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CMENDAQ Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup is mixed: neither company clearly combines the stronger profile with the more supportive price setup.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where CME and NDAQ each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY CME Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 4 pct gap NDAQ Elevated · below norm 0th 50th 100th 98th 94th
CME (98th percentile) and NDAQ (94th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Both look solid on profitability, though CME Group Inc. still holds the stronger peer position.
Stability
On stability, the edge still sits with CME Group Inc., even though both profiles look solid.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
CME
78
NDAQ
52
Gap+26in favour of CME

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 21.4-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Nasdaq, Inc. still shows lower market-fundamental divergence, which keeps the wider picture mixed rather than completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability is the clearest driver, and stability also supports CME Group Inc.'s broader structural position.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the CME vs NDAQ comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-and-stability comparisons

Explore how CME and NDAQ each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.