The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a stock index comprised of 30 of the largest blue-chip companies in the U.S. Because of its number of component stocks, the index is commonly known as the Dow 30. Taken together, the stocks in the Dow are meant to provide a snapshot of the U.S. economy and how it is performing. The Dow has come under criticism in recent years for its continued underperformance versus the two other major U.S. stock indices. Critics point to the fact that the Dow is up only 2% this year ver ...