The DJIA (Dow Jones Industrial Average), also known as the Dow, is the oldest continuing US market index and most widely quoted stock market indicator. The DJIA is a price-weighted average, meaning a $70 stock has more impact on the DJIA than a $30 stock. The DJIA is composed up of 30 large, well-known, industrial stocks that are generally industry leaders and trade daily on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq. The DJIA is used as an overall indicator of market performance, but some criticize it for not being representative of the stock market as a whole due to its concentration in just 30 stocks. The DJIA is one of several stock market indices created by Wall Street Journal editor and Dow Jones & Company founder Charles Dow in 1896. Dow compiled the DJIA as a way to measure the performance of the industrial component of America's stock markets. The DJIA is quoted in points, not dollars. |
