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The Dow Jones Industrial Average
The most often quoted stock market indicator is the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). In 1884, Charles Dow averaged closing prices of 12 representative stocks and the DJIA was christened. Since then it has been expanded to include 30 familiar blue chip companies to be more representative of the country's largest companies.
The calculation is also changed to reflect stock splits. While this index is not reflective of the entire stock market, watching changes in the DJIA can help you stay abreast of current conditions.
Original Dow Stocks
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American Cotton Oil
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Laclede Gas
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American Sugar
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National Lead
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American Tobacco
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North American
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Chicago Gas
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Tennessee Coal & Iron
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Distilling & Cattle Feeding
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U. S. Leather preferred
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General Electric
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U. S. Rubber
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Current DJIA Stocks
| 3M Company |
J.P. Morgan Chase & Company |
| American Express |
Johnson & Johnson |
| AT&T Incorporated |
McDonald's Corporation |
| Boeing Company |
Merck & Company, Incorporated |
| Caterpillar Incorporated |
Microsoft Corporation |
| Chevron Corporation |
Nike |
| Cisco Systems, Inc. |
Pfizer Incorporated |
| Coca-Cola Company |
Proctor & Gamble Company |
| DuPont |
Travelers Companies, Inc. |
| Exxon Mobil Corporation |
UnitedHealth Group |
| General Electric Company |
United Technologies Corporation |
| Goldman Sachs |
Verizon Communications Inc. |
| Home Depot Incorporated |
Visa |
| Intel |
Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated |
| International Business Machines |
Walt Disney Company |
In September, 2012, UnitedHealth Group replaced Kraft Foods. In September, 2013, Goldman Sachs, Nike and Visa replaced Alcoa, Bank of America and Hewlett Packard.
The DJIA is the most well known stock market indicator. However, the S+P500 and NASDAQ indexes include a broader selection of stocks including smaller companies.
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This information has been provided by Financial Wisdom Marketing Services, Inc. and is for educational purposes only. Content from Financial Wisdom and/or Redwood Credit Union is not, in any way, intended to provide legal, tax, or financial advice.