How to trade the Dow Jones (2024)

FAQs

How to trade the Dow Jones? ›

Since the Dow Jones is simply a measure of its underlying stocks' performance, you can't invest in it directly—instead, you can invest with an index fund either through a mutual fund or an ETF that strives to match the performance of the market index.

Since the Dow Jones is simply a measure of its underlying stocks' performance, you can't invest in it directly—instead, you can invest with an index fund either through a mutual fund or an ETF that strives to match the performance of the market index.

Options on the Dow are available from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. CT. Since their introduction in 1997, DJX options have grown to become some of the most popular index options worldwide.

Dow Theory Trading Strategy

This is done by analyzing the long-term price movements of the market, typically over a period of several months to years. If the market is moving consistently higher, it is said to be in an uptrend, while if it is constantly moving lower, it is in a downtrend.

The opening period (9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time) is often one of the best hours of the day for day trading, offering the biggest moves in the shortest amount of time. A lot of professional day traders stop trading around 11:30 a.m. because that is when volatility and volume tend to taper off.

Because the S&P 500 contains hundreds of large companies and represents the lion's share of total stock market value, it is considered a much better gauge of how the market is performing, even though it excludes thousands of smaller and midsize companies.

Selling (Writing) Options: Buffett's preferred options strategy revolves around writing (selling) options rather than buying them. By selling options, he collects premiums upfront, which can generate income even if the options expire worthless.

While the Nasdaq is also a stock exchange, the Dow is purely a stock market index. The Dow does include stocks on both the NYSE as well as the Nasdaq, whereas any Nasdaq indexes will include only stocks listed on Nasdaq exchanges.

What is the Buffett indicator of the Dow Jones? ›

The Buffett Indicator is the ratio of total US stock market value divided by GDP. Named after Warren Buffett, who called the ratio "the best single measure of where valuations stand at any given moment".

In addition to representing 30 of the most highly capitalized and influential companies in the U.S. economy, the Dow is also the financial media's most referenced U.S. market index and remains a good indicator of general market trends.

Today, the DJIA is a benchmark that tracks American stocks that are considered to be the leaders of the economy and are on the Nasdaq and NYSE. The DJIA covers 30 large-cap companies, which are subjectively picked by the editors of The Wall Street Journal.

It is not a hard and fast rule, but rather a guideline that has been observed by many traders over the years. The logic behind this rule is that if the market has not reversed by 11 am EST, it is less likely to experience a significant trend reversal during the remainder of the trading day.

Some traders follow something called the "10 a.m. rule." The stock market opens for trading at 9:30 a.m., and the time between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. often has significant trading volume. Traders that follow the 10 a.m. rule think a stock's price trajectory is relatively set for the day by the end of that half-hour.

With a $10,000 account, a good day might bring in a five percent gain, which is $500. However, day traders also need to consider fixed costs such as commissions charged by brokers. These commissions can eat into profits, and day traders need to earn enough to overcome these fees [2].

Owning an index can only be accomplished indirectly, either through self indexing, index derivatives, or index funds & ETFs.

In addition to opening a demat account with an Indian brokerage firm, another option is to directly invest in US stocks by opening a demat account with a foreign broker like Interactive Brokers, TD Ameritrade, or Charles Schwab.

Key Takeaways

The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) is the top (and only) exchange-traded fund tracking the Dow.

More DOW News

Sign up for a Robinhood brokerage account to buy or sell Dow stock and options commission-free. Other fees may apply. See Robinhood Financial's fee schedule to learn more.