instance_of dow jones composite average
The Dow Jones Industrial Average , also called DJIA , the Industrial Average , the Dow Jones , the Dow Jones Industrial , ^ DJI , the Dow 30 or simply the Dow , is a ___MASK45___ , and one of several indices created by " Wall Street Journal " editor and Dow Jones & Company co - founder Charles Dow . The industrial average was first calculated on May 26 , 1896 . Currently owned by S & P Dow Jones Indices , which is majority owned by S & P Global , it is the most notable of the Dow Averages , of which the first ( non - industrial ) was first published on February 16 , 1885 . The averages are named after Dow and one of his business associates , statistician Edward Jones . It is an index that shows how 30 large publicly owned companies based in the United States have traded during a standard trading session in the stock market . It is the second - oldest U . S . market index after the Dow Jones Transportation Average , which was also created by Dow . The " Industrial " portion of the name is largely historical , as many of the modern 30 components have little or nothing to do with traditional heavy industry . The average is price - weighted , and to compensate for the effects of stock splits and other adjustments , it is currently a scaled average . The value of the Dow is not the actual average of the prices of its component stocks , but rather the sum of the component prices divided by a divisor , which changes whenever one of the component stocks has a stock split or stock dividend , so as to generate a consistent value for the index . Since the divisor is currently less than one , the value of the index is larger than the sum of the component prices . Although the Dow is compiled to gauge the performance of the industrial sector within the American economy , the index ' s performance continues to be influenced by not only corporate and economic reports , but also by domestic and foreign political events such as war and terrorism , as well as by natural disasters that could potentially lead to economic harm . Charles Henry Dow ( ___MASK88___ 6 , 1851  ___MASK39___ 4 , 1902 ) was an American journalist who co - founded Dow Jones & Company with Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser . A stock split or stock divide increases the ___MASK95___ of shares in a company . The price is adjusted such that the before and after market capitalization of the company remains the same and dilution does not occur . Options and warrants are included . The Dow Jones Utility Average ( also known as the " Dow Jones Utilities ") is a stock ___MASK7___ from Dow Jones Indexes that keeps track of the ___MASK37___ of 15 prominent utility companies . ___MASK83___ or transportation is the movement of ___MASK15___ , animals and goods from one ___MASK3___ to another . Modes of transport include air , rail , ___MASK9___ , ___MASK93___ , cable , ___MASK53___ and space . The field can be divided into infrastructure , vehicles and operations . ___MASK83___ is important because it enables trade between ___MASK15___ , which is essential for the development of civilizations . A stock ___MASK79___ , equity ___MASK79___ or ___MASK57___ ___MASK79___ is the aggregation of buyers and sellers ( a loose ___MASK77___ of economic transactions , not a physical facility or discrete entity ) of stocks ( also called shares ), which represent ___MASK21___ claims on businesses ; these ___MASK68___ include " securities " listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately . A stock ___MASK7___ or ___MASK45___ is a measurement of the value of a section of the stock market . It is computed from the prices of selected stocks ( typically a weighted average ). It is a tool used by investors and financial managers to describe the market , and to compare the return on specific investments . The Dow Jones Transportation Average ( DJTA , also called the " Dow Jones Transports ") is a U . S . ___MASK45___ from S & P Dow Jones Indices of the transportation sector , and is the most widely recognized gauge of the American transportation sector . It is the oldest stock index still in use , even older than its better - known relative , the Dow Jones Industrial Average ( DJIA ). In ___MASK84___ , a divisor of an ___MASK41___ formula_1 , also called a factor of formula_1 , is an ___MASK41___ formula_3 that ___MASK68___ be multiplied by some other ___MASK41___ to produce formula_1 . In this case one says also that formula_1 is a multiple of formula_6 An ___MASK41___ formula_1 is divisible by another ___MASK41___ formula_3 if formula_3 is a divisor of formula_1 ; this implies dividing formula_1 by formula_3 leaves no remainder . The Dow Jones Composite Average is a stock ___MASK7___ from Dow Jones Indexes that tracks 65 prominent companies . The average ' s components are every stock from the Dow Jones Industrial Average , the Dow Jones Transportation Average , and the Dow Jones Utility Average .