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The DJIA is the second oldest U.S. market index; it is second to the Dow Jones Transportation Average. The DJIA was designed to serve as a proxy for the health of the broader U.S. economy.
When the index initially launched in 1896, it included only 12 companies. Those companies were primarily part of the industrial sector, including companies in the railroad, cotton, gas, sugar, tobacco, and oil industry and was in fact a spin-off of the Dow Jones Transportation Average, making the DJIA the second oldest stock market index in the United States. In the early 20th century, the performance of industrial companies was typically tied to the overall growth rate in the economy. As a result, the relationship between the Dow's performance and that of the economy was cemented. Even today, for many investors a strong-performing Dow equals a strong economy (while a weak-performing Dow likely indicates a slowing economy).
As the economy changes over time, so does the composition of the index. The Dow typically makes changes when a company becomes less relevant to the current trends of the economy, or when a broader economic shift occurs and a change in the composition of the index needs to be made to reflect it. For example, a company that loses a large percentage of its market capitalization due to financial distress might be removed from the Dow. Market capitalization is a method of measuring the value of a company by multiplying the number of shares outstanding to its stock price.
Stocks with higher share prices are given greater weight in the index. So, a higher percentage move in a higher-priced component will have a greater impact on the final calculated value. At the Dow's inception, Charles Dow calculated the average by adding the prices of the twelve Dow component stocks and dividing by twelve. The end result was a simple average. Over time, there have been additions and subtractions to the index, such as mergers and stock splits that had to be accounted for. At this point, a simple arithmetic mean calculation no longer made sense.
Furthermore, critics believe that factoring only the price of a stock in the calculation does not accurately reflect a company, as much as considering a company's market cap would. In this manner, a company with a higher stock price but a smaller market cap would have more weight than a company with a smaller stock price but a larger market cap, which would poorly reflect the true size of a company.
To buy stocks, you’ll first need a brokerage account, which you can set up in about 15 minutes. Then, once you’ve added money to the account, you can follow the steps below to find, select and invest in individual companies.
It may seem confusing at first, but buying stocks is really pretty straightforward. Here are five steps to help you buy your first stock:
Opening an online brokerage account is as easy as setting up a bank account: You complete an account application, provide proof of identification and choose whether you want to fund the account by mailing a check or transferring funds electronically.
Don’t let the deluge of data and real-time market gyrations overwhelm you as you conduct your research. Keep the objective simple: You’re looking for companies of which you want to become a part owner.
Warren Buffett famously said, “Buy into a company because you want to own it, not because you want the stock to go up.” He’s done pretty well for himself by following that rule.
Once you’ve identified these companies, it’s time to do a little research — here’s how.
Start with the company’s annual report — specifically management’s annual letter to shareholders. The letter will give you a general narrative of what’s happening with the business and provide context for the numbers in the report.
After that, most of the information and analytical tools that you need to evaluate the business will be available on your broker’s website, such as SEC filings, conference call transcripts, quarterly earnings updates and recent news. Most online brokers also provide tutorials on how to use their tools and even basic seminars on how to pick stocks.
New stock investors might also want to consider fractional shares, a relatively new offering from online brokers that allows you to buy a portion of a stock rather than the full share. What that means is you can get into pricey stocks — companies like Google and Amazon that are known for their four-figure share prices — with a much smaller investment. SoFi Active Investing, Robinhood and Charles Schwab are among the brokers that offer fractional shares.
Many brokerages offer a tool that converts dollar amounts to shares, too. This can be helpful if you have a set amount you’d like to invest — say, $500 — and want to know how many shares that amount could buy.
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What Is the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), also known as the Dow 30, is a stock market index that tracks 30 large, publicly-owned blue chip companies trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ. The Dow Jones is named after Charles Dow, who created the index back in 1896 along with his business partner Edward Jones. When reporters on television networks say the phrase "The market is up today," they are generally referring to the Dow.The DJIA is the second oldest U.S. market index; it is second to the Dow Jones Transportation Average. The DJIA was designed to serve as a proxy for the health of the broader U.S. economy.
Understanding the Dow Jones Industrial Average
Often referred to simply as "the Dow," the DJIA is one of the most-watched and important stock market indexes in the world. While the Dow includes a range of companies, they all largely can be described as blue-chip companies with consistently stable earnings. Some of the companies include the Walt Disney Company, Exxon Mobil Corporation, and Microsoft Corporation.When the index initially launched in 1896, it included only 12 companies. Those companies were primarily part of the industrial sector, including companies in the railroad, cotton, gas, sugar, tobacco, and oil industry and was in fact a spin-off of the Dow Jones Transportation Average, making the DJIA the second oldest stock market index in the United States. In the early 20th century, the performance of industrial companies was typically tied to the overall growth rate in the economy. As a result, the relationship between the Dow's performance and that of the economy was cemented. Even today, for many investors a strong-performing Dow equals a strong economy (while a weak-performing Dow likely indicates a slowing economy).
As the economy changes over time, so does the composition of the index. The Dow typically makes changes when a company becomes less relevant to the current trends of the economy, or when a broader economic shift occurs and a change in the composition of the index needs to be made to reflect it. For example, a company that loses a large percentage of its market capitalization due to financial distress might be removed from the Dow. Market capitalization is a method of measuring the value of a company by multiplying the number of shares outstanding to its stock price.
Stocks with higher share prices are given greater weight in the index. So, a higher percentage move in a higher-priced component will have a greater impact on the final calculated value. At the Dow's inception, Charles Dow calculated the average by adding the prices of the twelve Dow component stocks and dividing by twelve. The end result was a simple average. Over time, there have been additions and subtractions to the index, such as mergers and stock splits that had to be accounted for. At this point, a simple arithmetic mean calculation no longer made sense.
Limitations of the DJIA
Many critics of the Dow argue that it does not significantly represent the state of the U.S. economy as it consists of only 30 large-cap U.S. companies. They believe the number of companies is too small and it neglects companies of different sizes. Many critics believe the S&P 500 is a better representation of the economy as it includes significantly more companies, 500 versus 30, which by nature is more diversified.Furthermore, critics believe that factoring only the price of a stock in the calculation does not accurately reflect a company, as much as considering a company's market cap would. In this manner, a company with a higher stock price but a smaller market cap would have more weight than a company with a smaller stock price but a larger market cap, which would poorly reflect the true size of a company.
How to Buy Stocks
Buying stocks isn’t as complicated as it seems, but you’ll need to do some research — and learn the lingo — before you make your first investment.To buy stocks, you’ll first need a brokerage account, which you can set up in about 15 minutes. Then, once you’ve added money to the account, you can follow the steps below to find, select and invest in individual companies.
It may seem confusing at first, but buying stocks is really pretty straightforward. Here are five steps to help you buy your first stock:
1. Select an online stockbroker
The easiest way to buy stocks is through an online stockbroker. After opening and funding your account, you can buy stocks through the broker’s website in a matter of minutes. Other options include using a full-service stockbroker, or buying stock directly from the company.Opening an online brokerage account is as easy as setting up a bank account: You complete an account application, provide proof of identification and choose whether you want to fund the account by mailing a check or transferring funds electronically.
2. Research the stocks you want to buy
Once you’ve set up and funded your brokerage account, it’s time to dive into the business of picking stocks. A good place to start is by researching companies you already know from your experiences as a consumer.Don’t let the deluge of data and real-time market gyrations overwhelm you as you conduct your research. Keep the objective simple: You’re looking for companies of which you want to become a part owner.
Warren Buffett famously said, “Buy into a company because you want to own it, not because you want the stock to go up.” He’s done pretty well for himself by following that rule.
Once you’ve identified these companies, it’s time to do a little research — here’s how.
Start with the company’s annual report — specifically management’s annual letter to shareholders. The letter will give you a general narrative of what’s happening with the business and provide context for the numbers in the report.
After that, most of the information and analytical tools that you need to evaluate the business will be available on your broker’s website, such as SEC filings, conference call transcripts, quarterly earnings updates and recent news. Most online brokers also provide tutorials on how to use their tools and even basic seminars on how to pick stocks.
3. Decide how many shares to buy
You should feel absolutely no pressure to buy a certain number of shares or fill your entire portfolio with a stock all at once. Consider starting small — really small — by purchasing just a single share to get a feel for what it’s like to own individual stocks and whether you have the fortitude to ride through the rough patches with minimal sleep loss. You can add to your position over time as you master the shareholder swagger.New stock investors might also want to consider fractional shares, a relatively new offering from online brokers that allows you to buy a portion of a stock rather than the full share. What that means is you can get into pricey stocks — companies like Google and Amazon that are known for their four-figure share prices — with a much smaller investment. SoFi Active Investing, Robinhood and Charles Schwab are among the brokers that offer fractional shares.
Many brokerages offer a tool that converts dollar amounts to shares, too. This can be helpful if you have a set amount you’d like to invest — say, $500 — and want to know how many shares that amount could buy.