The Stock Market Barometer

Book excerpt: One of the most reliable stock market predictors is Dow's Theory, developed by Charles H. Dow, the founder of The Wall Street Journal. That theory, which makes sense of the fluctuations of the Dow-Jones Industrial Average, is clearly and simply explained in The Stock Market Barometer by W.P. Hamilton. As Hamilton wrote, "The Dow-Jones average is still standard, although it has been extensively imitated. There have been various ways of reading it; but nothing has stood the test which has been applied to Dow's theory." Besides providing this valuable explanation for anyone wishing to understand the rise and fall of stocks, Hamilton analyzes the history of the stock market since 1897. WILLIAM PETER HAMILTON was an editor of The Wall Street Journal and also wrote for Barron's. He worked closely with Charles H. Dow, founder of the Journal, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the Dow Jones financial news service.