Harry Potter Stock Index

The Harry Potter Stock Index is a collection of stocks from companies related to the Harry Potter series franchise. Created by StockPickr, this index seeks to capture some of Harry Potter's success by investing in selected movie producers, merchandisers and advertisers currently associated with the franchise.

The Harry Potter Stock Index includes such firms as Scholastic, the publisher of the Harry Potter books, and Time Warner, the series movie producer. The index even includes Amazon, which sells the movies and books, as well as Hasbro, Motorola,  Electronic Arts and Coca Cola.

The success of the Harry Potter franchise has snowballed since the first of many Harry Potter books, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," by J. K. Rowling, was first published in 1997. With the addition of movies, toys, games and other accessories, Harry Potter has created an industry generating billions of dollars in sales. With each new book edition or movie release, StockPickr believes investors can benefit by investing in companies involved with Harry-Potter-branded items.

The Harry Potter Stock Index and others named for media and influencers in popular culture are either tongue-in-cheek terms or attached to the often-transitory successes of certain celebrities or pop-culture phenomena. Note that stock portfolios and financial terms that are tied to celebrities tend to have a short shelf life, depending on how long the buzz lasts. For instance, the Angeline Jolie stock index, created by Fred Fulg, is made up of a selection of stocks from companies associated with actress Angelina Jolie, including those of Sony, Viacom and Disney. 

Other celebrity or pop-culture named products rely on associated meanings. Consider the term Bo Derek stock, a slang term coined to describe a high-performing stock, or a "perfect 10." This term was most popular in the early 1980s, after the release of the feature film "10" starring Bo Derek. In a similar, tongue-in-cheed vein, investors use the term Jennifer Lopez to describe a security that reaches a low but gradually rises again, creating a rounding bottom: the chart's curves are said to mimic the celebrity's famous assets.

Other terms that have been used by financial reporters and experts that reflect popular media include the Honey Badger Stock Market, which refers to the viral 2012 video where a narrator irreverently praised the Honey Badger for its bullheaded spunk. The term is applied to a stock market that over-performs and seems, against all expectations, impervious to harm.