U.S. Stock Market Indexes
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is one of the most well-known stock market indexes globally. Despite the thousands of stocks that trade on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the DJIA focuses predominantly on 30 significant publicly-owned companies, often referred to as ‘blue-chip’ stocks.
Composition and Calculation
The DJIA is a price-weighted index. This means that stocks with higher prices have a more significant impact on the index. To calculate the DJIA, the sum of the 30 stock prices is divided by a unique divisor, which accounts for stock splits and other adjustments. Initially, the divisor was the number of stocks in the index, but it now bears a more complex calculation due to various market activities.
Criticisms
The DJIA has its share of critics. The limited number of companies it includes might not represent a broader market accurately. Also, being price-weighted can create distortions because higher-priced stocks influence the index more substantially.
Usage
Despite its shortcomings, the DJIA is often used as a general indicator of market performance due to historical precedence and its established reputation.
The S&P 500
Overview
Contrasting the DJIA, the Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Index provides a broader picture of U.S. market health. It includes 500 of the largest companies listed on the NYSE or NASDAQ.
Composition and Weighting
The S&P 500 is a market-capitalization-weighted index. This means that companies with a higher market value have more influence on the index’s performance. The sectors covered include industrials, financials, utilities, and transportation among others.
Significance
Because of its comprehensive inclusion and market-cap weighting, the S&P 500 is extensively used by institutional investors. It serves as a benchmark that mirrors the performance of the U.S. stock market more accurately than the DJIA.
Investment Instruments
Many investment funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) seek to replicate the S&P 500’s performance. This index has become a vital tool for gauging the investment results of institutional portfolios.
Key Takeaways
- The DJIA: Consists of 30 large-cap U.S. companies and is price-weighted.
- Critics of DJIA: Limited representation makes it less reliable as a broad market indicator.
- The S&P 500: Comprises 500 of the most extensive U.S. companies with a market-cap-weighting mechanism.
- Significance of S&P 500: Offers a more holistic view of market performance and is widely used for benchmarking institutional portfolios.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the primary difference between the DJIA and the S&P 500?
Answer: The DJIA is a price-weighted index consisting of 30 companies, whereas the S&P 500 is a market-cap-weighted index including 500 companies.
Answer: The S&P 500 is considered better because it includes a broader range of companies and weights them by market capitalization, providing a more comprehensive market overview.
3. How is the DJIA divisor calculated?
Answer: The DJIA divisor is an adjusting number initially set as the count of stocks in the index but now adjusted to account for stock splits and changes ensuring consistency in the index’s value.
Glossary
- Blue-chip Stocks: Major, industry-leading companies with a history of reliable financial performance.
- Market Capitalization: Total market value of a company’s outstanding shares of stock.
- Price-Weighted Index: An index in which stocks are weighted based on their share prices.
- Market-Cap-Weighted Index: An index wherein companies are weighted based on total market capitalization.
- Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF): An investment fund traded on stock exchanges, much like stocks.
Charts and Diagrams
graph TB
DJIA[Dow Jones Industrial Average]
DJIA --> Stock1[Company A]
DJIA --> Stock2[Company B]
DJIA --> Stock30[Company Z]
SP500[Standard & Poor's 500]
SP500 --> StockA[Company 1]
SP500 --> StockB[Company 2]
SP500 --> StockZ[Company 500]
style1[DJIA is price-weighted]
style2[SP500 is market-cap-weighted]
DJIA -.-> style1
SP500 -.-> style2
📚✨ Quiz Time! ✨📚
## What is a key criticism of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)?
- [ ] It has too many companies included in the average.
- [x] It is not truly representative of broad market activity.
- [ ] It is a market capitalization-weighted index.
- [ ] It includes more transportation stocks than industrial stocks.
> **Explanation:** The DJIA is criticized for including only 30 companies, which means it does not fully represent the broader market. Furthermore, it is a price-weighted index, which can distort the average when higher-priced stocks rise.
## How is the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) calculated?
- [ ] By adding the market capitalization of each of the 30 issues and dividing by a divisor.
- [x] By adding the prices of each of the 30 issues and dividing by a specially calculated divisor.
- [ ] By averaging the closing prices of all stocks on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
- [ ] By using only the three highest-priced stocks in the average.
> **Explanation:** The DJIA is calculated by adding the prices of the 30 constituent stocks and then dividing that total by a divisor, which is adjusted over time to account for stock splits and other factors.
## Why does the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) tend to underperform the broader market over the longer term?
- [ ] Because it lacks a sufficient number of financial stocks.
- [ ] Because it is over-weighted in technology stocks.
- [ ] Because it includes only small-cap stocks.
- [x] Because it is composed of blue-chip stocks with typically lower risk profiles.
> **Explanation:** The DJIA consists of blue-chip stocks, which are generally more stable and have lower risk profiles, hence it tends to underperform the broader market in the long term compared to indexes that include a wider variety of stocks.
## What is the divisor in the DJIA calculation initially based on?
- [ ] The average market capitalization of the constituent stocks.
- [ ] The number of stocks listed on the NYSE.
- [ ] The average daily trading volume.
- [x] The initial number of stocks in the average.
> **Explanation:** The divisor in the DJIA calculation was initially the number of stocks in the average. It has since been adjusted over time, particularly for stock splits.
## What distinguishes the S&P 500 from the DJIA?
- [ ] The S&P 500 includes only technology stocks.
- [ ] The S&P 500 is price-weighted like the DJIA.
- [ ] The S&P 500 includes fewer stocks than the DJIA.
- [x] The S&P 500 is weighted by market capitalization rather than stock price.
> **Explanation:** Unlike the DJIA, which is price-weighted, the S&P 500 is weighted by market capitalization, meaning that companies with larger market caps have a more significant impact on the index's value.
## Why is the S&P 500 considered a better gauge of overall market performance compared to the DJIA?
- [ ] Because it includes predominantly transportation stocks.
- [x] Because it includes a broader range of industrial, financial, utility, and transportation stocks.
- [ ] Because it represents only small-cap stocks.
- [ ] Because it changes fewer components over time.
> **Explanation:** The S&P 500 includes a diverse range of 500 stocks across various sectors, making it more representative of the overall market compared to the DJIA, which includes only 30 stocks.
## Why do many institutional investors track the S&P 500?
- [ ] Because it is a price-weighted index.
- [ ] Because it includes only utility stocks.
- [ ] Because it has fewer financial stocks.
- [x] Because of its broad industry coverage and market capitalization weighting.
> **Explanation:** Institutional investors track the S&P 500 due to its broad industry coverage and the weighting of stocks by market capitalization, which provides a more comprehensive measure of market performance.
## How does the S&P 500 weight its constituent stocks?
- [ ] By the daily trading volume.
- [x] By market capitalization.
- [ ] By stock price.
- [ ] By dividend yield.
> **Explanation:** The S&P 500 weights its constituent stocks by market capitalization, meaning that companies with larger market values have a larger impact on the index.
## What role does the specially calculated divisor in the DJIA play?
- [ ] It is used to calculate the total market capitalization of the index.
- [ ] It adjusts for earnings reports.
- [x] It adjusts for stock splits and other structural changes.
- [ ] It determines the number of stocks to include in the index.
> **Explanation:** The specially calculated divisor in the DJIA adjusts for stock splits and other structural changes to ensure the continuity of the index’s value over time.
## Which stock market index is more likely to give a dramatic day-to-day performance indication?
- [ ] S&P 500
- [x] DJIA
- [ ] Russell 2000
- [ ] NASDAQ Composite
> **Explanation:** The DJIA is composed of only 30 stocks, making it more susceptible to dramatic day-to-day changes compared to broader indices like the S&P 500.