Dow Jones Industrial Average (DOWJONES-INDEX)

Stock market's Old Benchmark

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: DJI) is the stock market for many amateur investors. Since its initial publication in 1896, this index of 30 blue-chip businesses has served as a convenient abbreviation for the general market. Even today, the Dow tends to be given first billing on newscasts and financial news websites above other indices like the Nasdaq (NASDAQINDEX: IXIC) and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: GSPC), despite the fact that there are better indicators for the success of the broader stock market. Since 1928, the Dow Jones Industrial Average List has included 30 companies. Therefore, they are called the Dow 30. The name "industrial" is a misnomer even though the Dow Jones Industrial Average is what sets it apart from other Dow Jones indices like the Dow Jones Transportation Average. The index used to consist of industrial firms like manufacturers and agricultural firms, but it now includes companies from practically every significant stock market sector, including technology, consumer goods, healthcare, and energy, in addition to industrials. Only the industries of transportation and utilities have separate Dow Jones indices.