History of Dow Jones Industrial Average in Timeline

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), often called the Dow, is a stock market index tracking 30 major, publicly-owned companies based in the United States. It's a widely recognized indicator of the performance of the U.S. stock market as a whole and, by extension, the American economy. While not a comprehensive representation of the entire market (which includes thousands of companies), the Dow's movements are closely watched by investors and financial analysts globally as a barometer of economic health and investor sentiment.

July 30, 1914: New York Stock Exchange closed

On July 30, 1914, the New York Stock Exchange was closed when the Dow average stood at 71.42, suspending trading for four and a half months due to concerns over market panic related to World War I or to conserve U.S. gold stock.

December 12, 1914: Markets reopened

On December 12, 1914, when the markets reopened, the Dow closed at 74.56, a gain of 4.4%.

September 3, 1929: Dow reached a peak of 381.17

On September 3, 1929, the Dow reached a peak of 381.17 points before the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

November 13, 1929: The bottom of the 1929 crash came

On November 13, 1929, just two months after the peak, the bottom of the 1929 crash came at 195.35 intraday, closing slightly higher at 198.69.

July 8, 1932: Dow closed at 41.22

On July 8, 1932, during the Great Depression, the Dow closed at 41.22, roughly two-thirds of its mid-1880s starting point and almost 90% below its peak.

March 15, 1933: Largest one-day percentage gain in the index

On March 15, 1933, the largest one-day percentage gain in the index happened in the depths of the 1930s bear market, with the Dow gaining 15.34% to close at 62.10.

November 14, 1972: Average closed above 1,000 for the first time

On November 14, 1972, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 1,000 mark for the first time, at 1,003.16.

December 6, 1974: Average lost 48% of its value

Between January 1973 and December 6, 1974, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 48% of its value, closing at 577.60 on December 6, 1974, during the 1973–1974 stock market crash.

January 1980: Annualized return of DJIA

From January 1980 to November 2023, the DJIA returned an annualized 8.90%.

October 19, 1987: Black Monday

On October 19, 1987, known as Black Monday, the Dow experienced its largest one-day percentage drop, falling 22.61%.

1987: DJIA worst quarter since 1987

In the first quarter of 2020, the DJIA fell 23%, its worst quarter since 1987.

October 13, 1989: Friday the 13th mini-crash

On October 13, 1989, the Friday the 13th mini-crash, which initiated the collapse of the junk bond market, resulted in a loss of almost 7% of the index in a single day.

October 27, 1997: October 27, 1997 mini-crash

On October 27, 1997, the events surrounding the 1997 Asian financial crisis plunged the Dow into a 554-point loss to a close of 7,161.15; a retrenchment of 7.18% in what became known as the October 27, 1997 mini-crash.

March 29, 1999: Average closed above 10,000

On March 29, 1999, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 10,006.78, marking its first close above 10,000.

September 17, 2001: Dow fell 7.1% after September 11 attacks

On September 17, 2001, the first day of trading after the September 11 attacks on the United States, the Dow fell 7.1%.

September 24, 2002: Dow dropped to a four-year low of 7,286

On September 24, 2002, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped to a four-year low of 7,286, due to the stock market downturn of 2002 and the lingering effects of the dot-com bubble.

October 11, 2007: Dow reached a record high of 14,198.10

On October 11, 2007, the Dow reached a record high of 14,198.10.

2007: Previous High in 2007

In 2007, The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a previous high, before closing at a new record high on March 5, 2013.

September 15, 2008: Wider financial crisis became evident

On September 15, 2008, a wider financial crisis became evident after the Bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers and the economic effect of record high oil prices. The Dow lost more than 500 points for the day.

October 2008: AIG's stock price collapse

During September–October 2008, former component AIG's reverse split-adjusted stock price collapsed, contributing to a roughly 3,000-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

October 2008: Bear market symptom during the 2008 financial crisis

In October 2008, the Dow Jones Industrial Average showed a typical symptom of a bear market, similar to what was previously seen during the 2008 financial crisis, amid volatility caused by coronavirus fears and an oil price war.

March 9, 2009: Index closed at a new 12-year low of 6,547.05

On March 9, 2009, the Dow closed at a new 12-year low of 6,547.05, its lowest close since April 1997, having lost 20% of its value in only six weeks.

2009: Dubai World debt standstill

In 2009, the Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced significant volatility due to growing global concerns, including the Dubai World debt standstill, despite the Federal Reserve's loose monetary policy.

May 6, 2010: 2010 Flash Crash

On May 6, 2010, the Dow experienced a significant intraday drop of 9.2% before recovering most of it within an hour, an event known as the 2010 Flash Crash, which led to new regulations to prevent similar occurrences.

2011: United States debt-ceiling crisis

In 2011, the Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced significant volatility due to growing global concerns, including the United States debt-ceiling crisis, despite the Federal Reserve's loose monetary policy.

March 5, 2013: Dow closes at a new record high

On March 5, 2013, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at a new record high, six years after its previous high in 2007, and continued to rise for several years.

2015: 2015–2016 stock market selloff

In the second half of 2015, the Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced a brief 2015–2016 stock market selloff after rising for several years past 17,000 points.

November 9, 2016: Index soared after Donald Trump's victory

On November 9, 2016, the day after Donald Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election, the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared, coming within roughly 25 points of its all-time intraday high to that point.

2016: Dow picks up again in early 2016

In early 2016, the Dow Jones Industrial Average picked up again after a brief selloff in 2015 and climbed past 25,000 points by January 4, 2018.

2018: Dow fell nearly 20%

In 2018, the Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced volatility and fell nearly 20%.

January 2019: Index rallied more than 10%

By early January 2019, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had quickly rallied more than 10% from its Christmas Eve low.

February 12, 2020: Dow peaks at 29,551.42

On February 12, 2020, despite the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, the Dow Jones Industrial Average peaked at 29,551.42 (29,568.57 intraday on the same day) before retreating due to coronavirus fears and an oil price war.

October 12, 2020: Market recovered in the third quarter

On October 12, 2020, the market recovered in the third quarter, returning the Dow Jones Industrial Average to 28,837.52.

November 9, 2020: Dow peaks following Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine announcement

On November 9, 2020, the Dow Jones Industrial Average peaked momentarily at a new all-time high of 29,675.25 at 14:00 ET, following that day's announcement of the success of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Phase III clinical trials.

December 31, 2020: Dow closes at a record 30,606.48

On December 31, 2020, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at a record 30,606.48, as reported by the United Press International.

November 2023: Annualized return of S&P 500

From January 1980 to November 2023, the S&P 500 returned an annualized 8.91%.

January 22, 2024: Dow crosses 38,000 points for the first time

On January 22, 2024, the Dow Jones crossed 38,000 points for the first time.

November 8, 2024: Components of the DJIA have changed 59 times

On November 8, 2024, it was noted that the components of the DJIA had changed 59 times since its inception on May 26, 1896.

March 2025: Goldman Sachs represented the largest component of the index

In March 2025, Goldman Sachs represented the largest component of the DJIA with a market capitalization of approximately $167 billion, while Apple's market capitalization was around $3.3 trillion but fell outside the top 10 components.

May 29, 2025: Dow Jones Industrial Average composition

As of May 29, 2025, the Dow Jones Industrial Average consisted of a specific set of companies with weightings.

October 30, 2025: Dow Divisor

Since October 30, 2025, the Dow Divisor is 0.16242563904928, where every $1 change in price in a stock equates to a 6.156663 point movement.

November 2025: Index value calculation factor at approximately 0.162

As of November 2025, the value of the DJIA index can be calculated by summing the stock prices of the companies included and dividing by a factor of approximately 0.162.