NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Calls Dow:'Most Recognizable, Most Frequently Quoted,Longest-Serving Market Indicator of Its Kind'
Charles Dow Was a 'Pioneer' Who Anticipated Investors 'Would Value Objective Measure of How Large Companies Traded During a
NEW YORK, May 25, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The City of New York has proclaimed May 26, 2011 to be "Dow Jones Industrial Average Day" in recognition of the iconic index's 115th anniversary.
Founded on May 26, 1896 in New York City by Charles Dow, one of the founders of The Wall Street Journal, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has evolved from 12 stocks published for readers of The Journal to 30 stocks, becoming "the most recognizable, most frequently quoted, and longest-serving market indicator of its kind," said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in an official proclamation issued from his office.
Referring to The Dow's 115th anniversary as an "historic milestone," Mayor Bloomberg added that Mr. Dow anticipated investors "would value an objective measure of how large companies traded during a standard session in the stock market."
"As we celebrate The Dow's 115th anniversary, we take this opportunity to reflect on the pioneers like Charles Dow who had the foresight to turn their ideas into action, and make our city the financial, media, and intellectual capital it is today," Mayor Bloomberg said.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is owned by Dow Jones Indexes, part of a joint venture company owned 90 percent by CME Group Inc. and 10 percent by Dow Jones & Company, Inc., a News Corporation company.
"We're flattered by the City of New York's acknowledgement of the Dow Jones Industrial Average's 115th anniversary," said John A. Prestbo, Editor and Executive Director of Dow Jones Indexes. "Since its birth in the late 19th Century, The Dow has become a fixture in American life – the gold standard in measuring economic health and prosperity with a track record unrivaled by any other index. The Dow is the most quoted gauge of the U.S. stock market globally and it continues to be the answer to the question: 'What did the market do today?'"
According to Dow Jones Indexes, more than $37 billion in assets and 2,600 financial products are linked to The Dow. Further, its 30 stocks account for 24% of the total U.S. market value, with 39% of the U.S. market's total dividends paid by The Dow's component stocks.
The 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average are: 3M, Alcoa, American Express, AT&T, Bank of America, Boeing, Caterpillar, Chevron, Cisco Systems, Coca-Cola, DuPont, Exxon Mobil, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Home Depot, Intel, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase, Kraft Foods, McDonald's, Merck, Microsoft, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Travelers, United Technologies, Verizon Communications, Wal-Mart, and Walt Disney.
"Someone once wrote that talking about the stock market without mentioning the Dow Jones Industrial Average is like talking about the weather without mentioning the temperature," said Mr. Prestbo. "The metaphor is very apt."
Please click here (or visit: www.djindexes.com/DJIA_Proclamation ) to read the complete text of the Proclamation declaring May 26, 2011 as "Dow Jones Industrial Average Day" in New York City.
Please click here (or visit: www.djindexes.com/DJIA115/ ) to see the official the Dow Jones Industrial Average's 115th anniversary commemorative site.
Journalists may regarding this press release to media@djindexes.com
About Dow Jones Indexes
Dow Jones Indexes is a leading full-service index provider that develops, maintains and licenses indexes for use as benchmarks and as the basis of investment products. Best-known for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Dow Jones Indexes offers more than 130,000 equity indexes as well as fixed-income and alternative indexes, including measures of hedge funds, commodities and real estate. Dow Jones Indexes employs clear, unbiased and systematic methodologies that are fully integrated within index families.
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a product of Dow Jones Indexes, the marketing name and a licensed trademark of CME Group Index Services LLC ("CME Indexes"). "Dow Jones®," "Dow Jones Indexes," "The Dow®" and "Dow Jones Industrial Average" are service marks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, and have been licensed for use by CME Indexes. "CME" is a trademark of Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc.
CONTACT: Dow Jones Indexes press office: New York: Rich Silverman +1-212-597-5720 richard.silverman@djindexes.com London: Barbara Mahe +44-20-7796-7247 barbara.mahe@djindexes.com
