Dow: Then and now
A look at how the economy and markets have changed since the last time the blue-chip index hit its record.
By Grace Wong, CNNMoney.com staff writer

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average rose to its highest level Tuesday, breaking a record more than 6-1/2 years old.

The last time the record was hit, Jan. 14, 2000, technology was the darling of the stock market - and the dot.com bubble was on the brink of bursting and sending the economy into a recession.

Tech still hasn't fully recovered - the Nasdaq is nowhere near where it was then - but this time around, the economy looks more stable. It's still growing, although at a much slower pace than in previous quarters, and corporate profits remain upbeat.

But the economy isn't out of the clear just yet. Several economists are worried that the unwinding of the housing boom could bring the nation's economy in for a so-called "hard landing." Top of page

Dow: Then and now
    January 14, 2000 October 3, 2006
Indices Dow 11,722,98 11,727.34
Nasdaq 4,064.27 2,243.65
S&P 500 1,465.15 1,334.11
Stocks eBay share price $16.73 $28.18
Microsoft share price $48.63 $27.37
General Electric $43.25 $35.71
Proctor & Gamble $50.86 $62.30
Economy Fed funds rate 5.50% 5.25%
GDP growth 2000: 3.7%
2001: 0.8%
2005: 3.2%
2006E: 3.4%
National median home price $131,000 $225,700
30-year mortgage rate 8.21% 6.31%
Average U.S. credit card debt per household $7,031 $9,159
Oil/barrel $28.02 $58.68
Gas/gallon $1.30 $2.31
Gold/ounce $283.90 $581.50
Real median household income $42,148 $46,242
Warren Buffett's net worth $26 billion $42 billion
Sources: Fed, Commerce Dept., National Association for Business Economics, National Association of Realtors, Freddie Mac, Cardweb.com, Census Bureau, Energy Information Administration, New York Mercantile Exchange, Forbes

*Adjusted for stock splits and dividends

New worry: A hard 'soft landing'

A big day for the Dow

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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.