STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: NPR's business news begins with new players on the Dow.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: We're talking about the Dow Jones Industrial Average, a list of 30 major companies that is used to track the broader economy - one of several such indexes. The Dow is swapping out three of its blue chip companies in what's being called the biggest shake up of the list in almost a decade.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Gone from the index at the end of next week will be Hewlett Packard, goodbye; Alcoa, gone; Bank of America, gone. Sliding into their places: Visa, Nike and Goldman Sachs. This change is the result of the low stock prices of the companies being dropped, as well as a push to include a more diverse mix of firms.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is swapping out three of its blue chip companies, in what's being called the biggest shake up of the index in almost a decade. Standard & Poor's announced it's dropping Hewlett Packard, Alcoa and Bank of America at the end of next week. Sliding into their places: Visa, Nike and Goldman Sachs.