
The DJIA, or Dow Jones Industrial Average, is a widely followed stock market index that provides a snapshot of the US economy's overall health. It's calculated based on the prices of 30 of the largest and most influential publicly traded companies in the US.
The DJIA is often used as a benchmark to gauge market trends and performance. It's a weighted average of the 30 component stocks, with prices adjusted for stock splits and dividend payments. This ensures that the index accurately reflects the market's value over time.
The DJIA has been around since 1896, and its history is a fascinating story of market ups and downs. It's been through two world wars, the Great Depression, and numerous economic downturns. Despite these challenges, the index has continued to evolve and adapt, reflecting the changing landscape of the US economy.
History of DJIA
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has a rich history that's worth exploring. The 1950s saw a nearly 240% increase in the average from 200.13 to 679.36.
In the 1980s, the Dow experienced some significant market crashes, including a 22.61% drop on Black Monday, October 19, 1987. The index also suffered a loss of almost 7% on Friday the 13th mini-crash, October 13, 1989.
Despite these crashes, the Dow still managed to increase 228% from 838.74 to 2,753.20 during the 1980s.
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1950s
The 1950s was a remarkable decade for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. A nearly 240% increase in the average from 200.13 to 679.36 ensued over the course of that decade.
During the 1950s, the Korean War and the Cold War did not stop the Dow's climb higher. The decade saw significant economic growth and stability.
The Dow's impressive growth in the 1950s was a testament to the strength of the US economy.
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1980s
The 1980s began with the early 1980s recession, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) broke above 1,000 in early 1981, only to retreat afterwards.
The index saw a major milestone in January 1987, closing above 2,000 for the first time.
On Black Monday, October 19, 1987, the largest one-day percentage drop occurred, with the average falling 22.61%.
The 1980s were marked by several market crashes, including the Friday the 13th mini-crash on October 13, 1989, which resulted in a loss of almost 7% of the index in a single day.
Despite these crashes, the Dow increased 228% from 838.74 to 2,753.20 during the decade.
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The 2020s
The 2020s saw a remarkable bull run in the Dow, with the index peaking at 29,551.42 on February 12, 2020. This was a testament to the resilience of the market despite the emerging COVID-19 pandemic.
The Dow continued its upward trend, reaching a new all-time high of 29,675.25 on November 9, 2020, after the announcement of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine's success in Phase III clinical trials. This was a major milestone in the fight against the pandemic.
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Volatility rose sharply in the first quarter of 2020, with the DJIA falling 23% - its worst quarter since 1987. This was a stark reminder of the market's sensitivity to global events.
The market recovered in the third quarter, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) returning to 28,837.52 on October 12, 2020. This was a welcome relief for investors who had seen their portfolios take a hit earlier in the year.
The Dow closed over 30,000 on December 31, 2020, at a record 30,606.48. This marked a major milestone in the market's recovery from the pandemic-induced downturn.
The Dow continued to soar in 2024, crossing 38,000 points for the first time on January 22, 2024.
Components and Structure
The DJIA data is comprised of 30 major US companies, each representing a significant sector within the economy. These companies are selected based on their market capitalization, trading volume, and other financial metrics.
The DJIA is a price-weighted index, meaning that the companies with the highest stock prices have the greatest influence on the index's overall value. This is in contrast to other indexes, such as the S&P 500, which is market-capitalization weighted.
The 30 companies in the DJIA are divided into five sectors: consumer goods, consumer services, financials, industrials, and technology. This sector breakdown provides a broad representation of the US economy and helps investors understand the performance of different industries.
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Initial Components

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was first calculated on May 26, 1896, with an initial set of 12 industrials that have since been replaced.
The original components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average included companies like American Cotton Oil Company, which later became part of Unilever, and American Tobacco Company, which was broken up in an antitrust action in 1911.
Here's a list of the original 12 companies:
- American Cotton Oil Company (now part of Unilever)
- American Sugar Refining Company (became Domino Sugar in 1900, now Domino Foods, Inc.)
- American Tobacco Company (broken up in 1911)
- Chicago Gas Company (bought by Peoples Gas Light in 1897)
- Distilling & Cattle Feeding Company (now Millennium Chemicals)
- General Electric (still in operation, removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 2018)
- Laclede Gas Company (still in operation as Spire Inc, removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1899)
- National Lead Company (now NL Industries, removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1916)
- North American Company (an electric utility holding company, broken up in 1946)
- Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company (bought by U.S. Steel in 1907)
- United States Leather Company (dissolved in 1952)
- United States Rubber Company (changed its name to Uniroyal in 1961)
These companies have played a significant role in shaping the Dow Jones Industrial Average over the years.
Correlation Among Components
The correlation among components of a stock market index can be a fascinating topic. A study has found that the correlation is higher when the stocks are declining, which is an interesting phenomenon.
In fact, the correlation is lowest when the average is flat or rises a modest amount, suggesting that during times of stability, the individual components tend to behave more independently.
Let's take a look at some specific examples. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, for instance, is a stock market index that tracks the performance of 30 major companies.
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Data and Computation
The Dow Divisor is a crucial part of the DJIA computation, ensuring that stock splits and other structural changes don't disrupt the index.
The Dow Divisor is adjusted to keep the index consistent, and its value is less than one, making the index larger than the sum of the component prices.
The current Dow Divisor is 0.16268413125742, which means every $1 change in price in a particular stock equates to a 6.146881 point movement.
Since November 8, 2024, the Dow Divisor has been set at this value, providing a consistent basis for the DJIA calculation.
Computation
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is computed as the sum of the prices of all thirty stocks divided by a divisor, known as the Dow Divisor.
The Dow Divisor is adjusted in case of stock splits, spinoffs, or similar structural changes to ensure that such events don't alter the numerical value of the DJIA.
In 2024, the Dow Divisor became 0.16268413125742, making every $1 change in price in a particular stock equivalent to a 6.146881 point movement.
The DJIA formula is: (p1 + p2 + ... + p30) / d, where p are the prices of the component stocks and d is the Dow Divisor.
To avoid discontinuity in the index, the Dow Divisor is updated so that the quotations right before and after an event like a stock split or change in the list of companies coincide.
The DJIA is now larger than the sum of the prices of the components due to the divisor being less than one.
YM Format Details
The YM format details are quite interesting. You can purchase DJIA Mini $5 Index Futures Data YM (YM) from PortaraCQG, which includes your format options.
The data type options include daily, intraday, tick - trades only, and tick - level 1. Each data type has its own start date, end date, and size. For example, the daily data type has a start date of 2002 Apr 02 and a size of < 50 KB.

Intraday data is available from 2002 Apr 05 and has a size of < 10 MB. Tick - trades only data starts from 2002 Apr 05 and has a size of 19.9 GB. Tick - level 1 data starts from 2002 Apr 04 and has a size of 257.5 GB.
The DJIA Mini $5 Index daily futures data is made up of five data points: open, high, low, last-price, and settle. You can choose to have the daily close based on the last price or the settle, depending on whether you want to follow extended sessions or just the day session.
Here are the data type details in a table format:
Portara's Historical Futures Data
You can access a wide range of historical futures data through Portara's Catalogue of Historical DJIA Mini $5 Index Futures Data YM.
Portara offers various types of historical data, including intraday data.
If you're looking for other types of historical data, you can visit the Historical Daily Data Download Table, Historical Intraday Data Download Table, Historical Tick - Trades Only Data Download Table, or Historical Tick - Level 1 Data Download Table.
These tables offer different formats of historical data, such as daily, intraday, tick-trades-only, and tick-level-1.
To view the available historical data, you can click on the links provided in the download tables.
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Market Representation and Issues
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) has been criticized for its limited representation of the overall market performance. The DJIA only includes 30 stocks, which is a small fraction of the total number of publicly traded companies in the US.
Critics argue that this limited representation can lead to inaccurate results, particularly when compared to more comprehensive indices like the S&P 500 Index. Ric Edelman, a well-known financial expert, has expressed concerns about the DJIA's accuracy.
One of the main issues with the DJIA is its price-weighted methodology, which gives higher-priced stocks more influence over the average. This means that a $1 increase in a lower-priced stock can be negated by a $1 decrease in a much higher-priced stock, even though the lower-priced stock experienced a larger percentage change.
During the financial crisis of 2008, the DJIA was heavily influenced by the collapse of AIG's stock price, which led to a 3,000-point drop in the index. This highlights the potential flaws in the DJIA's methodology.
The DJIA's price-weighted approach also means that smaller companies have the same influence on the average as larger companies, regardless of their market capitalization. For example, Cisco Systems and Coca-Cola are among the lowest-priced stocks in the average, giving them relatively little sway in the price movement.
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DJIA Derivatives
DJIA Derivatives are a key part of the Dow Jones Index, and they come in various forms.
The E-Mini Dow $5 Index (YM) is one of the most popular derivatives, with a contract size of $5. You can also trade the Micro E-mini Dow $0.50 (MYM), which has a contract size of $0.50.
Futures contracts are another type of derivative, and they are issued by the CME Group through its subsidiaries the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). The E-mini Dow ($5) Futures (YM) track the average and trade on their exchange floors.
The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) issues option contracts on the Dow through the root symbol DJX. Options on various Dow-underlying ETFs are also available for trading.
The DJIA Mini $5 Index Contract Specs are as follows:
If you're looking for historical data, you can visit the Historical Intraday Data Download Table or the Historical Daily Data Download Table. You can also check out the Historical Tick - Trades Only Data Download Table or the Historical Tick - Level 1 Data Download Table for more options.
A unique perspective: Historical Intraday Data
How to Buy and Use DJIA
To buy the DJIA, you'll need to purchase a fraction of the 30 underlying stocks that make up the index.
The DJIA is a price-weighted index, which means that the stocks with the highest prices have the most influence on the index's value.
You can buy the DJIA through a brokerage account or a financial institution that offers index funds or ETFs.
Mutual and Exchange-Traded Funds
You can replicate the performance of the DJIA with index funds, including mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which hold the same stocks as the index in the same proportions.
State Street Corporation issues an ETF that replicates the DJIA's performance, listed on the NYSE Arca as DIA.
ProShares offers leveraged ETFs that attempt to produce three times the daily result of either investing in or shorting the DJIA, with NYSE Arca listings UDOW and SDOW respectively.
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Data Sources and Updates
Portara's enterprise software solution provides timely updates to your data, with updates occurring up to four times per day based on your subscription level.
These updates happen at the end of the Asian, European, Early US and Globex session, ensuring you have access to the latest information.
Historical DJIA Mini $5 Index data updates are ready around half an hour after markets close, giving you a quick turnaround on your data.
No exchange fees or other CQG products are necessary to access these updates.
You can view other futures, forex, ETFs and fixed income symbols and commodities from the Historical Intraday Data Download Table.
If you're looking for derivatives of the DJIA Mini $5 Index or any other historical data types, you can visit the other download tables listed below:
- Historical Daily Data Download Table
- Historical Intraday Data Download Table
- Historical Tick - Trades Only Data Download Table
- Historical Tick - Level 1 Data Download Table
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sherwin Williams replacing on the Dow?
Sherwin-Williams replaces Dow Inc. in the DJIA, a move aimed at providing a more accurate reflection of the market.
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