Will "The Dow" Get a New Name?

The juggernaut of the American Financial Markets, symbolizing the biggest companies in the nation, may get a new name after its 113-year existence.

There is news on the Street that Dow Jones & Co., popularly represented by the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) and currently owned by News Corporation (NASDAQ:NWS), is putting the $100-million-a-year business up on the sales block.

Dow Jones & Co. develops, maintains and licenses indexes. Some of the indexes include the Dow Jones Transportation Average (INDEXDJX:.DJT), the Dow Jones Utilities Titans 30 Index (INDEXDJX:.DJTUTS) and the Dow Jones U.S. Iron & Steel Index (INDEXDJX:.DJUSST).  Obviously the paramount group of the company is the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI).

News Corp. appears to be shopping the company because the $5.7 billion it paid to buy Dow Jones at the end of 2007 was too much.  There is rumor that MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MXB) is a candidate buyer.  Because of the branding of “The Dow” it is not certain that anyone will want to rename it, although it remains a possibility.