As such, point moves are a way to measure the relative change in the index’s value. That said, when comparing the value of the DJIA over time, many financial sites, as we have done above, use an inflation-adjustment calculator such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor’s CPI since this gives the relative change over time.
On Wednesday, panicky bankers withdrew $144 billion from money market funds, almost causing a collapse. This high occurred only 42 trading sessions after closing above 19,000. That is the second-fastest rise in U.S. history (currently, the record is 24 sessions to go from 10,000 to 21,000 in 1999). Since the Dow tracks just 30 large-cap U.S. companies, some critics https://www.forexbox.info/how-much-income-can-you-make-from-a-500-000/ argue that it is too narrow to represent the state of the overall U.S. economy. Given its large-cap focus, the roster of companies included in the Dow fails to include companies of other sizes. Most market observers think the S&P 500 is a much better representation of the economy, as it includes 500 companies and draws more widely from different sectors.
Stock market gains since the 2008 financial crisis were mediocre in volume. Only three days traded more than 200 million shares, a level similar to the late 1990s. The Dow was volatile in 2015 because it was based on just a few companies.
The bout of inflation that followed the COVID-19 pandemic led to another sharp sell-off in 2022. Between Jan. 7, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2022, the Dow declined from 36,231.66 to 28,725.51. Perhaps the most infamous trough was during the Great Depression, in which the Dow lost about 90% of its value over three years.
- But this robust start was not indicative of extreme volatility the index would face as the year progressed.
- Previously, the Dow had fallen from 11,723 in January 2000 to 9,389 in March 2001, dropping 20% (from 20,520 to 16,434 points, inflation-adjusted).
- It hit a milestone on July 11, closing above 27,000, and then another on Nov. 15, closing above 28,000 (in the chart below, milestones are noted).
- In parentheses, when helpful, we provide the Dow’s points as inflation-adjusted to Feb. 23, 2024, for a relative comparing to its record high.
It hit a low of 41.22 in 1932 (about 908 points, inflation-adjusted). Get stock recommendations, portfolio guidance, and more from The Motley Fool’s premium services. Alternatively, investors could take a more conservative approach and buy shares of the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average https://www.day-trading.info/best-dividend-stocks-to-invest-in-for-2021/ ETF (DIA -0.81%). Building on that, Salesforce and Microsoft are leaning into the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, Morgan Stanley analyst Keith Weiss argues Microsoft in particular is the software company best positioned to monetize generative AI.
At the same time, the strength in the U.S. labor market meant extremely competitive wages driving consumer demand. Both of those factors sent inflation in the U.S. soaring to record levels not seen in over 40 years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is one of the many gauges of stock market performance. This history of the Dow since the Great Depression demonstrates how stock market fluctuations reflect the natural stages of the business cycle. This was the Dow’s third consecutive trading day with a record close and the fourth record closing in just two months.
The Dow Jones Just Hit a Record High. History Says Stocks Will Do This Next.
On July 3, the Dow hit a new high when the Trump administration announced it would resume trade negotiations with China, averting additional tariffs (taxes on imports). Many records were set in 2019, thanks in part to trade talks with China that boosted firms in the index. At recent prices, the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF returned 473% over the last two decades, or 9.1% annually. Additionally, it was slightly less volatile than the broader S&P 500, as evidenced by its 10-year beta of 0.95. The index fund bears a below-average expense ratio of 0.16%, meaning the annual fee on a $10,000 portfolio would be $16. The easiest way to invest in the Dow may be to buy shares in State Street Global Advisors’ SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust, which trades under the ticker symbol DIA.
The selection is not based on strict quantitative criteria but rather on the decisions of the editors of The Wall Street Journal. Companies are chosen based on their reputation, growth, and relevance to the economy, with the aim of reflecting the overall health exchange rate us dollar to danish krone and trends of the industrial sector of the U.S. economy. It hit an all-time high of 34,200.67 points on April 16, 2021. In the autumn, it began to consistently close above 35,000 points, and by the last week in December 2021, it surpassed 36,000 points.
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Since the Great Depression, 2007 to 2008 has been the most dramatic period for the DJIA. The market fell more than 50% in just a year and a half because of subprime mortgage and credit crisis that kicked off the Great Recession. The following are some milestones achieved by the Dow Jones Industrial Average. In parentheses, when helpful, we provide the Dow’s points as inflation-adjusted to Feb. 23, 2024, for a relative comparing to its record high. Journalist Charles Dow and his business partner, Edward Jones, established the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1896 with 12 companies in the industrial sector. The number of companies included in the index increased to 20 in 1916 and then to the current number, 30, in 1928.
The Long-Term Capital Management hedge fund almost collapsed, threatening to push its banking investors into bankruptcy. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan convinced them to support the hedge fund, averting further disaster. It beat its January high, rising to 9,093.24 by the close of the day.
The Dow responded with new highs throughout the latter part of 2019, even though trade negotiations had broken down until November. It hit a milestone on July 11, closing above 27,000, and then another on Nov. 15, closing above 28,000 (in the chart below, milestones are noted). In 2019, the Dow hit two milestones and set 22 record closes.
Dow Jones Highest Closing Records
While you can’t directly buy shares in the market index, you can invest in the DJIA through index funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) such as the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA). These funds track the DJIA through a similar composition and weighting of stocks. The Dow suffered a market correction between August 2015 and April 19, 2016, leading to a 2016 downturn. It began on Jan. 4, when the Dow closed 160 points lower as investors worried about a slowdown in China’s economic growth. But this robust start was not indicative of extreme volatility the index would face as the year progressed. First, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine saw gas prices spike sharply.
The index had three nine-day runs, last occurring in 1955 (when there were four nine-day stretches). The Dow continuously moved higher eight months in a row (the last occurrence of this was in 1995). All these events created a lot of uncertainty for investors and the Dow bore the brunt of it, falling into a bear market in September 2022. Despite all time highs early in the year, six of the 20 worst-one day point losses for the Dow occurred in 2022. Because of the price-weighted calculation method, a $1 change in the price of a stock in the DJIA doesn’t equate to one point in the index since that depends on the Dow divisor at the time.
Historical data is inflation-adjusted using the headline CPI and each data point represents the month-end closing value. The current month is updated on an hourly basis with today’s latest value. The current price of the Dow Jones Industrial Average as of March 21, 2024 is 39,781.37. On that day, it closed at 7,286.27, a 37.8% decline from its peak.
The Dow’s activity broke new records in terms of downward movement in 2009. While it wasn’t as dramatic as the Great Depression, the drop happened much more quickly. After recovering from its Great Depression level, the Dow continued to be affected by several recessionary periods and crises leading up to the 2009 downturn. A November streak occurred after Donald Trump’s presidential win on Nov. 8. Traders were confident in a business-friendly Republican president. The index closed above 23,000 on Oct. 18, 2017; slightly more than a month later, it broke 24,000.
