January 04, 2018 04:13 PM
UPDATED 2 MINUTES AGO
As the Dow Jones industrial average crosses 25,000 points for the first time, see how well you know the oldest and best-known barometer of the U.S. stock market.
1. When was the Dow Jones industrial average first published?
2. What's the lowest recorded closing level for the Dow?
3. Has the Dow always had 30 stocks in it?
4. What's the Dow Jones industrial average named for?
5. Which company has been in the average from the very beginning?
6. What was the Dow's biggest one-day increase, in percentage terms, and when did it happen?
7. What was the Dow's biggest one-day decrease, in percentage terms, and when did it happen?
8. Which Broadway musical contains "Dow Jones" in its title, and when did it open?
Answers:
1. May 26, 1896.
2. The lowest point on record for the Dow is 28.48 on August 8, 1896.
3. No. The first version of the average contained 12 industrial stocks, including U.S. Rubber, American Sugar and American Cotton Oil.
4. The average was created by Dow Jones & Co., which was founded by Charles Dow, Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser. Dow Jones & Co. also founded The Wall Street Journal.
5. General Electric.
6. The Dow rose 11.1 percent, or 936 points, on October 13, 2008, after a European plan was announced to bail out financial institutions.
7. The Dow lost 22.6 percent, or 508 points, on October 19, 1987, which came to be known as "Black Monday."
8. The Tony Award-nominated musical comedy "How Now, Dow Jones" opened on Broadway in 1967. The story follows Kate, who is frustrated because her fiance will only marry her once the Dow crosses 1,000 points. (That didn't happen until 1972.)
Sources: S&P Dow Jones Indices, Samuel French Inc.
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