Beta measures how violently a stock moves relative to the market: 1.0 moves with the index, 1.5 amplifies it by half, 0.5 damps it. This heatmap colors US stocks by beta, sized by market cap and grouped by sector — an instant map of where the market's calm and its storms live.
Greener tiles are low-beta defensive names, redder tiles are high-beta amplifiers — utilities and staples green, small tech and cyclicals red.
Below ~0.8 — utilities, consumer staples and healthcare typically live there. In drawdowns they fall less; in rallies they lag. High-beta names above ~1.3 do the opposite.
Safer against market swings, not against business risk — a low-beta utility can still blow up on its own news. Beta measures market correlation, not company quality.
Because it predicts behavior in stress: a book of high-beta names will drop harder in selloffs and bounce harder in recoveries. The map makes a portfolio's aggregate sensitivity visible.
Heatmap data updates through the trading session. Fundamentals come from Finnhub and SEC filings; scores are simplified heuristics for screening — not investment advice.