The Dow Jones Industrial Average is on the verge of another big milestone and could continue to climb as the rally broadens.

In the final hour of trading on Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was on pace to score its best week since November amid a strong start to 2026. The Dow was up 0.5% late afternoon Friday, putting it on track for a weekly gain of around 2.

Dow Jones and Polymarket said Wednesday that they signed an exclusive agreement under which Polymarket’s real-time prediction market data will be made available across Dow Jones’ US financial media properties. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average got its first all-time high of 2026—but fell just short of closing above 49000 for the first time. The index was up as much as 1.7% in midday trading, then faded a bit to end the day at 48977.

Major stock indexes finished mostly lower Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 reversing course after setting fresh all-time highs.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is having its best start to any new year since 2018, bolstered by financial and industrial names like Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Caterpillar Inc., despite pullbacks in the blue-chip index and both companies’ shares on Wednesday.

Despite a more than 14% year-to-date gain in the Dow Jones Industrial Average as of market close on Dec. 26, there are five Dow stocks that are down 10% or more in 2025: Home Depot ( HD 0.65%), Procter & Gamble ( PG 0.51%), Nike ( NKE +4.12%), Salesforce ( CRM 0.38%), and UnitedHealth Group ( UNH 0.62%).

Major stock indexes soared Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting an all-time high, after the U.S. military seized Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.

These five Dogs of the Dow may be the perfect play for 2026 for growth and income investors wary of volatility and a potential sell-off.