Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), often called the Dow, describes the average daily movement of 30 blue chip stocks. The DJIA does not change the companies in its index often, so the average open and close of these stocks reflects the price direction of the market. The DJIA is the oldest stock index reflecting the U.S. stock market. Long-term comparisons of the market's price direction often report the DJIA average. The market level often reflects the DJIA or other major market average, such as the Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500.