Within just four years, the Dow hit another key price: 10,000. The average first touched the level on March 16, 1999. However, it took several days of choppy trading for the index to close a session above 10,000 on March 29, 1999.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has often been a defensive stock play for investors, at least compared with its other benchmark peers. In four years since 2000, the Dow has beaten the three other major U.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 1,200 points Friday, leading a broader stock-market rebound.