Dow Jones Live Chart (Real-Time DJIA)
LIVEThe Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is a price-weighted index of 30 large US blue-chip companies, first published by Charles Dow in 1896. The live chart below follows it in index points through the CAPITALCOM:US30 feed, which is quoted almost 24 hours a day, so you can see moves before and after the New York session.
Live market data — updates automatically
At a Glance
What This Dow Jones Chart Shows
The main chart plots CAPITALCOM:US30, a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Unlike the official cash index (DJIA:DJI), which only moves from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, US30 is quoted almost 24 hours a day on weekdays. That makes it useful for a real-time view of pre-market and overnight moves, but its quote can differ slightly from the official Dow close. The At a Glance row adds US30, US500 (S&P 500), US100 (Nasdaq-100) and DIA, an exchange-traded fund that holds the 30 Dow stocks.
How the Dow Is Calculated
Charles Dow first published the average on May 26, 1896, with 12 companies. Today it holds 30 large US companies chosen by a committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices. Despite the "Industrial" name, it now includes technology, healthcare, financial and consumer companies.
The Dow is price-weighted: it adds up the share prices of its 30 members and divides the sum by the Dow divisor. The divisor is adjusted for stock splits and member changes so that those events do not move the index. Because the divisor is well below 1, a $1 change in any member's share price moves the Dow by several points.
| Hypothetical example | Share price | Market value | Influence on the Dow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company A | $400 | Smaller | High: a 1% move is $4 |
| Company B | $50 | Larger | Low: a 1% move is $0.50 |
In a price-weighted index, Company A has eight times the influence of Company B even though B is the bigger business. That is the main reason the Dow can diverge from the market-cap-weighted S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite on a given day.
How to Read the Dow Jones Live Chart
- Choose an interval. Use 1–15 minute candles for intraday moves, 1 hour or 4 hours for the last few days, and daily (D), weekly (W) or monthly (M) candles for trends.
- Read each candle. The body spans open to close: green if it closed higher, red if lower. Wicks mark the high and low of the interval.
- Watch the session boundaries. Gaps at 9:30 a.m. ET often reflect news released overnight or before the open.
- Use a log scale for long history. Right-click the price axis and choose Logarithmic so that equal vertical distances represent equal percentage changes.
A headline such as "the Dow fell 1,000 points" sounds dramatic, but its size depends on the index level. At a high level, 1,000 points can be a modest percentage move; at a low level it would be a crash. Check the percent change shown next to the price.
Historic Dow Milestones
- May 26, 1896: first publication of the average.
- October 1929: the Wall Street crash that preceded the Great Depression.
- October 19, 1987 (Black Monday): the Dow fell 22.6% in one day, still its largest one-day percentage decline.
- March 2020: COVID-19 sell-off with several of the largest one-day point drops on record, followed by a rapid rebound.
What Moves the Dow
- High-priced members: because of price weighting, earnings or news from the members with the highest share prices have the biggest effect.
- Economic data: jobs reports, inflation (CPI) and GDP releases often move all three major indices at 8:30 a.m. ET.
- Federal Reserve policy: interest rate decisions and guidance affect valuations and borrowing costs.
- Global events: geopolitical news, energy prices (see the crude oil chart) and moves in overseas markets show up first in the near-24-hour US30 quote.
Common Mistakes
- Treating the Dow as "the market": it has only 30 stocks; the S&P 500 is the broader gauge.
- Reading the US30 overnight quote as the official close.
- Comparing point moves across decades instead of percentages.
New to candlesticks? See how to read a chart, or put the Dow next to other assets with the compare tool and the stock market charts hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a real-time Dow Jones chart?
The main chart uses CAPITALCOM:US30, a CFD that tracks the Dow and updates in near real time almost 24 hours a day on weekdays. The official cash index (DJIA:DJI) only moves during the 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern session, so the two quotes can differ slightly.
How do I read the Dow Jones live chart?
Each candle shows the open, high, low and close for the selected interval. Green candles closed higher than they opened and red candles closed lower. Use 1 to 15 minute intervals for intraday moves, daily or weekly candles for trends, and a log scale for long history.
Why is the Dow price-weighted and why does it matter?
The Dow adds up the share prices of its 30 members and divides by the Dow divisor. A stock with a higher share price therefore has more influence than a larger company with a lower share price, so the Dow can move differently from the market-cap-weighted S&P 500.
How many stocks are in the Dow Jones?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average holds 30 stocks. Membership is decided by a committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices, and despite the Industrial name it now includes technology, healthcare, financial and consumer companies.
What was the biggest one-day percentage drop in the Dow?
On Black Monday, October 19, 1987, the Dow fell 22.6%, its largest one-day percentage decline. The March 2020 COVID-19 sell-off produced several of the largest one-day point drops on record, but in percentage terms they were smaller than 1987.