The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is one of the oldest and most widely followed stock market indices in the world. The index is composed of 30 blue-chip stocks that are among the largest and most well-known companies in the United States. The DJIA is one component of the Dow Jones family of indices, which includes the Dow Jones Composite Average and the Dow Transportation Average, among other measures of the U.S. stock market.
The index was created by Dow Jones & Company in 1896 and was originally known as the Dow Jones Industrial Average of the Stock Exchange Values. The index is calculated by taking the prices of the 30 stocks that make up the index and then dividing it by an index divisor. The divisor is constantly adjusted to account for corporate actions such as stock splits, spinoffs and mergers.
The DJIA is a price-weighted index, meaning that stocks with higher dollar prices have more of an influence on the overall index movements than lower-priced stocks. For that reason, the index can be skewed by just one or two high-priced stocks. Because of this, some analysts have argued that the index is not a reliable measure of the U.S. stock market.
The DJIA is a barometer for the U.S. stock market. Investors use the index to track overall performance of the stock market and to provide a framework for evaluating their own portfolios. Major changes in the index are seen as significant events, causing short-term reactions in the market.
The DJIA is one of the oldest and most widely followed stock market indices in the world. It is a price-weighted index, meaning that the stocks with the higher dollar prices have more of an influence on the index’s overall movements than the lower-priced stocks. The index is composed of 30 blue-chip stocks that are among the largest and most well-known companies in the United States. It is seen as a barometer of U.S. stock market performance and is used by investors to evaluate their own portfolios. Changes in the index often cause short-term reactions in the market.