While its components have changed quite a bit since its inception as an industrial benchmark - Salesforce.com (CRM), anyone? - the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI) is still a widely followed equity index on Wall Street. Made up of 30 major U.S. companies, the Dow might provide a somewhat narrower snapshot of the stock market than the S&P 500 Index ($SPX), or the sprawling Nasdaq Composite ($NASX) - but Dow stocks still have a reputation as being giants of their respective industries, and the index's price swings are worth tracking.
On a year-to-date basis, the Dow is barely holding its head above water. It's up about 3% YTD, compared to 30% for the Nasdaq and 14% for the S&P 500. One stock that's been kind of a drag? Boeing (BA), as the $116 billion aerospace giant has pulled back by nearly 20% in just the past three months.
