NEW YORK, May 25, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Dow Jones Industrial Average marks its 110th anniversary on May 26th. Created by Charles Dow in 1896 to gauge the new industrial economy, it has grown to represent the pillars of the U.S. economy. More than a century later, the Dow stands as the world's most widely cited U.S. market indicator.
Statistics on the Dow follow:
-- As of May 24, 2006, the Dow was at 11,117.32, up 3.73%
year-to-date
-- The Dow closed 2005 at 10,717.50, down .61% for the year
-- The Dow closed at a six-year high of 11,642.65 on
May 10, 2006, 80.33 points, or 0.7% away from its all-time
closing high.
-- The Dow's all-time high came on January 14, 2000, when it
closed at 11,722.98
-- The Dow has crossed the 11,000 mark 24 times since it
originally topped that figure on May 3, 1999
-- It took 99 years for the Dow to reach 5,000 (November 21,
1995). It only took an additional three years and four months
to reach 10,000 (March 18, 1999).
-- The largest single-day percentage drop in the Dow came on
October 19, 1987, when it fell 22%
-- The Dow's 13% plummet on October 28, 1929 -- and additional
12% fall on the 29th -- signalled the start of the Great
Depression. The Dow did not fully recover to pre-Depression
levels until 1954.
-- 1931 was the worst performing year for the Dow, when it lost
52.67%
-- 1915 was the best performing year for the Dow, when it gained
81.66%
Did you know?
-- The Dow was manually calculated by Arthur "Pop" Harris every
hour on the hour from 1923 to 1963, before the advent of
computers
-- The Dow is the second longest-running stock market index, the
first being the Dow Jones Transportation Average
-- General Electric is the only original member of the Dow that
is still included in the Average (though it has been dropped
and added to the Average twice)
-- The Dow started with 12 stocks in 1896 and was eventually
expanded to 30 stocks in 1928
Dow Jones Indexes recently concluded a "Man and Woman on the Street" survey, asking 110 people from each of the world's major financial centers -- New York, London, Paris, Frankfurt and Hong Kong -- about their thoughts on the Dow. Results of the survey follow:
-- 78% of those surveyed had heard of the Dow
-- Half accurately described the Dow as an index
-- One-quarter could quote within 100 points where the Dow was
currently trading
Journalists may e-mail questions regarding this note to editors to PR-Indexes@dowjones.com or contact a member of the Dow Jones Indexes/STOXX public relations group:
New York: +1-212-597-5720 Frankfurt: + 49-69-29725290
The Dow Jones Indexes and STOXX logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2442