Why the DOW?
 

Why do folks, and the press, focus on the DOW, and not the S&P 500? Two threads here...now three? The historical trends are virtually meaningless imo....the huge losers get tossed, and the huge winners get added periodically...the DOW (30 corporations) over time is not an AAPLs to AAPLs comparison imo...discuss.

Because the Dow was created by Dow Jones as a marketing device and marketed as a trademarked brand so it was the first "index" to gain popularity. It's also the oldest so it's the most well known and it's the most prestigious because it's limited to the 30 bluest of blue chips. Finally, it is designed to be a reflection of the overall health of the economy with its weighted average rather than a true index like the S&P 500. But in reality, it's just more fun to follow the Dow rather than the S&P 500. It's the sexy index.

Meh, I'm new enough and maybe uninitiated enough that I use the S&P500.

YOU TOOOOO!!!! I don't feel so all alone anymore...THX for the affirmation. :)

Count me in as the third stooge :)...

I don't know how the DOW is weighted, but remember when AAPL accounted for 20% of the Nasdaq...later dropped back to 12%.

Bogus.....but sexy....I reckon....

So the top ten DOW components account for 50% of the DJIA .....statisticians :(