Exon Gets Booted From The DOW
GE Capital, had its hands in a lot of stuff, from credit cards, to insurance, mortgages to airplane leasing. At its peak GE Capital accounted for almost 66% of GE's profits. But then the Great Recession came and GE Capital nearly crashed GE because it couldn’t get any financing and didn’t differentiate itself from other financial service companies.
General Electric (GE) was an original member of the DOW in 1896, but in 2017, the DOW dropped GE in favor of Walgreens Boots Alliance. The struggles continue to for GE as the stock is down more than 40% year to date due to COVID-19.
This past week, the DOW shook things up again. Another icon in Exon is being removed this week.
Exxon Mobil Corporation explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas in the United States, Canada/Other Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia/Oceania. At one point in 2019, while the S&P 500 is up 25% YTD, Exxon Mobil is up only 2%. Part of the issue is oil prices are depressed, oil shale players are barely making money and the US-China trade war has put a damper on economic growth around the world.
One particular trading day earlier this year, Exxon shares fell so much, that the decline wiped out $12 billion in market value in less than three hours. The last time the stock traded that low was in late 2010. Oil in general is at a critical juncture as investors increasingly look to invest in alternative due to fossil fuels adverse effects on global warming.
So as Apple starts to trade with an adjusted split price on Monday, it will do so without Exxon being a part of the DOW.
Exxon’s ousting “is another blow to sentiment towards a sector that has been under intense selling pressure while losing relevance with the investment community over the past six years,” analysts at Tudor Pickering Holt said in a note Tuesday.
Energy companies have battled twin shocks of years of oversupply and wrecked demand from the coronavirus pandemic. That’s alongside ongoing concerns about an eventual peak in oil demand, which has emerged before the pandemic, and ESG-related objections to fossil fuels, Molchanov said.
As to why Exxon and not Chevron is being removed, it may stem from the fact that Chevron’s share price is twice as high, since the DJIA incorporates share price in its weightings. But that’s unlikely to be the only reason, he said.
Exon has been part of the DOW for 92 years. The company joined the DOW in October 1928, when it was called Standard Oil of New Jersey. The company was one of the 10 most valuable publicly traded companies for decades and held the top stop from 2006 through 2011. But the times have certain changed and the charts suggests price is headed back to the $32 level.
This post is my personal opinion. I’m not a financial advisor, this isn't financial advise. Do your own research before making investment decisions.
