US30 downThe Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), also called “Dow Jones” or “the Dow” is a price-weighted average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), approximately two-thirds of which are represented by companies producing industrial and consumer goods. “Price-weighted” means that each company is assigned a weighting based on its stock price. It was created by The Wall Street Journal editor Charles Dow in 1896.If the DJIA rises by 10 points comparing to yesterday, it means that the cost of purchasing the 30 stocks in the index today is $10 higher than purchasing those same 30 stocks yesterday, taking into account stock splits and dividends.
Over time, the DJIA can be used as a benchmark for the economy