Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Dow Shakeup: The Day After


Last night's shake-up of the Dow Jones Industrial Average reverberated across markets today. New entrant Salesforce was up 3.6%. (It's up another 13% in after hours trading tonight after the cloud software company reported a blowout earnings report.) The other Dow additions, Honeywell and Amgen rose 3.2% and 5.4%, respectively.
Not surprisingly, coming out of the Dow has the opposite effect. Exxon Mobil shares fell 3.2%, while Pfizer and Raytheon Technologies each fell around 1%. 
The Exxon deletion feels particularly significant. It was the longest tenured member of the Dow, dating back to 1928, when it was known as Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey. 
My colleague Avi Salzman reached out to Exxon executives to get their reaction to being pulled from the world's most famous index. Here's what they said: 
“This action does not affect our business nor the long-term fundamentals that support our strategy,” an Exxon spokesperson wrote. “Our portfolio is the strongest it has been in more than two decades, and our focus remains on creating shareholder value by responsibly meeting the world’s energy needs.”
Maybe so. But come Monday, the company will no longer be in the Dow.
Here's more from Avi on Exxon and the Dow.

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