Dow Jones Industrial Average's climb toward 40,000

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is among the oldest and most closely watched U.S. stock indexes. It took more than 70 years to hit the 1,000 mark but has followed a steep upward trajectory since the 1990s despite several large declines.

A line chart that stays relatively flat at near zero from 1896 until1960 and then climbs steeply toward 40,000.