The Dow Jones Industrial Average (or DJIA) gets its name from Charles Dow, the man who first created it in 1897. In the beginning, Mr. Dow made an index of the 11 most prosperous and most widely traded industrial stocks on the market. Currently, the Dow is made up of 30 stocks from all sectors of the market – not just industrial stocks. The companies in the current Dow index are chosen by the editors of the Wall Street Journal (which is owned by Dow Jones and Company). These stocks are intended to reflect how the largest U.S. companies are doing in the stock market.

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