The low down on the Dow, Apple’s new home – USA TODAY

FILE – In this Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013, file photo, the Apple logo is illuminated in the entrance to the Fifth Avenue Apple store, in New York. Apple will replace AT&T in the Dow Jones industrial average after the close of trading on Wednesday, March 18, 2015, the manager of the index announced early Friday, March 6. Apple will start trading as part of the 30-stock Dow at the opening of trading the next day. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) ORG XMIT: NY112(Photo: Mark Lennihan, AP)

Apple, the tech powerhouse and creator of the IPhone and IPad, will join the prestigious Dow Jones industrial average as of March 19. It takes the place of AT&T, which had been part of the iconic index since 1916. Here, we answer some questions you might have about the Dow.

Q: What is the Dow Jones industrial average?

A: Also known as simply the Dow, the Dow Jones industrial average is a price-based measure of blue chip businesses.

Q: When was it introduced?

A: May 26, 1896

Q: Why is it so prestigious?

A: The industrial average, along with the Dow Jones transportation average and Dow Jones utility average, were the world’s first market indicators. Together, they comprise the Dow Jones Composite Average, a gauge of America’s most esteemed companies.

Q: How many companies are included In the industrial average?

A: 30. When one is added, another is taken out.

Q: How does a company join the Dow?

A: Usually, a business must have a stellar reputation, show consistent growth, and have a significant following among investors. The Dow also seeks to maintain a healthy mix of sectors.

Q: How often do new companies join the Dow?

A: Rarely. Usually it happens after a company is purchased, or there’s a major shift in a business’s main focus.

Q:: Who oversees the Dow?

A: There is an “averages” committee.

Q: Which Industries comprise the Dow?

A: All, except transportation and utilities, which have their own indexes

DATES OTHER BIG TECH COMPANIES JOINED THE DOW:

Microsoft Corp. – Nov. 1, 1999

Cisco Systems Inc.- June 8, 2009

COMPANIES LISTED ON THE DOW INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE:

Ticker	Company
MMM	3M Co.
T	AT&T
AXP	American Express Co.
BA	Boeing Co.
CAT	Caterpillar Inc.
CVX	Chevron
CSCO	Cisco Systems Inc.
KO	Coca-Cola Co.
DD	E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co.
XOM	Exxon Mobil
GE	General Electric Co.
GS	Goldman Sachs Group Inc
HD	Home Depot Inc.
INTC	Intel Corp.
IBM	International Business Machines Corp.
JPM	JPMorgan Chase
JNJ	Johnson & Johnson
MCD	McDonald’s Corp.
MRK	Merck & Co. Inc.
MSFT	Microsoft Corp.
NKE	NIKE Inc
PFE	Pfizer Inc.
PG	Procter & Gamble Co.
TRV	Travelers Cos.
UTX	United Technologies Corp.
UNH	UnitedHealth Group Inc.
VZ	Verizon Communications
V	Visa Inc
WMT	Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
DIS	Walt Disney Co.

SOURCE: USA TODAY Research

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