Dow Jones & Company

Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Publishing, Financial news
Founded	1882; 144 years ago
Founder	Charles Dow, Edward Jones, Charles Bergstresser
Headquarters	New York City, United States
Key people	Almar Latour (CEO)
Products	The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, MarketWatch, Mansion Global, Financial News, Private Equity News, Dow Jones Newswires, Dow Jones Factiva, Dow Jones FX Select, Dow Jones VentureSource, Private Equity Analyst, Dow Jones Risk & Compliance
Owner	News Corp
Website	www.dowjones.com

Dow Jones & Company, Inc. (commonly known as Dow Jones) is a U.S.-based publishing enterprise under the ownership of News Corp, with Almar Latour serving as CEO. Its portfolio includes prominent titles such as The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, MarketWatch, Mansion Global, Financial News, and Private Equity News.

Famed for originating the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), Dow Jones administered this index from its inception in 1882 until 2010. That year marked the divestiture of 90% of the Dow Jones stock market indices division to CME Group, with the remaining 10% stake transferred by 2013.

History

Established in 1882 by journalists Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser, Dow Jones quickly became known for making intricate financial data accessible to a wide audience. Following Charles Dow’s passing, financial reporter Clarence Barron took ownership in 1902. Leadership later transitioned to Barron’s stepdaughters, Jane and Martha Bancroft, whose family retained a 64% voting interest until 2007.

The year 2007 concluded a prolonged acquisition struggle when News Corporation purchased Dow Jones for $5 billion, thereby acquiring control over The Wall Street Journal and ending over a century of Bancroft family stewardship. This acquisition allowed News Corp to significantly broaden its presence in financial media.

After divesting its Dow Jones Indexes unit to CME Group post-2010, the company redirected focus toward its primary financial news offerings. In 2005, Dow Jones partnered with FTSE to introduce the Industry Classification Benchmark, a system for categorizing market sectors.

In April 2020, CEO William Lewis resigned after nearly six years at the helm. Subsequently, on May 15, 2020, Almar Latour was appointed CEO, bringing renewed strategic direction and growth initiatives.

In 2021, Dow Jones enhanced its data and analytics capabilities through the $1.4 billion acquisition of OPIS and Base Chemicals from IHS Markit, strengthening its position in energy pricing and chemical market intelligence.

Consumer media

Its premier publication, The Wall Street Journal, is a daily newspaper available in both print and digital formats that covers business, finance, national affairs, and international news. Since its launch on July 8, 1889, it has expanded to publish twelve editions across nine languages including English, Chinese, Japanese, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Malay, Turkish, and Korean. The Journal has been honored with 35 Pulitzer Prizes recognizing journalistic excellence.

Additional significant consumer titles include Barron's Magazine, a weekly publication providing market and economic analysis; MarketWatch, a digital platform specializing in financial news; and Investor's Business Daily, which focuses on stock market trends and global finance. Financial News offers specialized coverage of investment banking, securities trading, and asset management sectors. MarketWatch’s BigCharts feature provides investors with stock charts, screening tools, and research resources. Furthermore, Professor Journal integrates content from The Wall Street Journal into academic programs.

In 2017, Dow Jones introduced Moneyish to engage millennial audiences with lifestyle and personal finance topics. It also operated Heat Street—a digital news and opinion outlet launched in 2016—before merging it into MarketWatch.

The monthly publication Far Eastern Economic Review discontinued circulation in September 2009.

Enterprise media

Dow Jones serves the corporate and financial sectors with more than 20 offerings that blend content and technology to facilitate informed decision-making. Notable products include:

Dow Jones Newswires, which provides immediate financial news updates;
Dow Jones Factiva, a specialized database delivering search capabilities, alerts, newsletters, and visual data on companies, subjects, and individuals;
Dow Jones FX Select, presenting up-to-the-minute global foreign exchange news, expert insights, and policy analysis in 13 different languages;
Dow Jones VentureSource, offering information on venture-funded firms to track deals, collaborations, and patterns in venture capital investments and fundraising;
Private Equity Analyst, delivering prompt news and evaluations concerning private equity and venture capital activities such as fundraising, investment strategies, deal financing, liquidity events, returns, and executive changes;
Dow Jones Risk & Compliance, concentrating on risk management, regulatory adherence, and corporate governance materials related to Anti-Corruption, Anti-Money Laundering, Payments, and Sanctions.

These solutions strengthen Dow Jones' market position by merging exclusive content with advanced technology tailored to meet the requirements of institutional clients worldwide.

Dow Jones Newswires

Established in 1882, Dow Jones Newswires is a premier provider of real-time financial news that competes with entities like Bloomberg L.P. and Thomson Reuters. As of July 2011, it catered to over 600,000 subscribers including brokers, traders, analysts, fund managers, and top financial executives globally.

Ventures

In 2009, Dow Jones Ventures introduced FINS.com, a platform dedicated to financial careers and industry insights. This website was sold to Dice.com in 2012.

Broadcasting

Dow Jones delivers news content to CNBC within the United States. It previously produced radio shows such as The Wall Street Journal Report and The Dow Jones Report, which ceased when the network shut down in 2014. Additionally, the company launched WSJ Live—an interactive video service featuring programs like "News Hub" and "MoneyBeat"—which was discontinued in 2017.

Indices

In February 2010, Dow Jones divested a 90% interest in its Index division to CME Group for $607.5 million. Prominent indices included:

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)
Dow Jones Transportation Average
Dow Jones Utility Average
Dow Jones Composite Average
The Global Dow
Dow Jones Global Titans 50 Index
Dow Jones Total Stock Market Index
Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes
Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Indexes
Dow Jones Target Date Indexes

By July 2012, Dow Jones and CME Group merged their index assets with McGraw–Hill's Standard & Poor's to create the S&P Dow Jones Indices joint venture. Ownership was divided with S&P holding 73%, CME Group at 24.4%, and Dow Jones maintaining an indirect stake of 2.6%.

In April 2013, CME Group purchased the remaining shares from Dow Jones for $80 million, elevating its stake to 27% and concluding Dow Jones & Company's direct involvement with its eponymous indices.

NewsPicks USA

In March 2017, Dow Jones collaborated with NewsPicks Inc., a Japanese operator of a business news platform, to establish the joint enterprise NewsPicks USA, LLC. This initiative was overseen by CEO Ken Breen, Senior Vice President at Dow Jones Media Group, alongside Chairman Yusuke Umeda, who serves as Director at NewsPicks Inc.

The English-language version of the NewsPicks platform targeting the United States was introduced on November 13, 2017. Reflecting the format of its Japanese counterpart, the platform integrated business news from sources such as The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Reuters with social networking capabilities, featuring commentary from highly ranked business experts known as "ProPickers." The initial release was for iPhone users, with plans to launch an Android version subsequently.

By October 2018, the partnership ended, resulting in the Japanese parent company taking full control over the US operations.

Ownership

Dow Jones was established by Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser, who were instrumental in creating its key offerings: The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Newswires, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

In 1902, financial journalist Clarence Barron acquired Dow Jones. The company remained under the influence of Barron's descendants and the Bancroft family—who maintained substantial voting rights—until News Corp., a global media conglomerate headed by Rupert Murdoch, purchased it in 2007. Currently, Dow Jones functions as a subsidiary within News Corp's organizational framework.

Buyout offer

On May 1, 2007, Dow Jones announced that News Corporation, under Rupert Murdoch's leadership, had submitted an unsolicited $5 billion bid at $60 per share. This acquisition was connected to Murdoch's newly launched cable business news channel, Fox Business, with Dow Jones' brand enhancing its credibility.

On June 6, 2007, Brian Tierney, CEO and founder of Philadelphia Media Holdings, owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer, revealed interest in collaborating with external investors to acquire Dow Jones.

During June, MySpace co-founder Brad Greenspan offered to purchase a 25% stake in Dow Jones at $60 per share. His proposal included injecting $1.25 billion in cash for shareholders while preserving company control.

On July 17, 2007, The Wall Street Journal reported that Dow Jones and News Corporation had reached a preliminary agreement on the $5 billion acquisition deal, representing a valuation approximately 70% above the prevailing market price.

Insider trading scandal

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission examined suspicious stock price fluctuations preceding a significant announcement. It alleged that board member Sir David Li, a notable Hong Kong businessman, disclosed confidential information about the forthcoming offer to his associate Michael Leung. Leung then relayed this insider knowledge to his daughter and son-in-law, who earned $8.2 million through illicit trading activities.

Corporate governance

Prior to being acquired by News Corp., Dow Jones' board consisted of Christopher Bancroft, Lewis B. Campbell, Michael Elefante, John Engler, Harvey Golub, Leslie Hill, Irvine Hockaday, Peter Kann, David Li, chairman M. Peter McPherson, Frank Newman, James Ottaway, Elizabeth Steele, and William Steere.

External links