I asked you what the Dow had to do with the economy. You didn't answer my question.
Okay it's difficult I know so let me make it plainer.
Question - what is the Dow?
Question - what is the nature of the relationship between the Dow and the US economy?
Supplementary questions.
1. Does the Dow drive the US economy?
2. If yes, how.
3. If not, then what does drive the US economy?
I see no one answered your posts so I will try.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted index of the stocks of 30 large US companies the constructors of the index believe represent a cross-section of the US economy.
The relationship between the index and the US economy is very strong over the long run but can be weak or non-existent in the near-term. Or even the intermediate term. For example, between 1966 and 1982, the index rose exactly 0% in total, yet the economy grew by about 3% per year. Recently, the Dow has been rising because of extraordinarily strong corporate profits. The US economy is fine, but the rising Dow does not correlate to all parts of the economy.
The market does effect the economy, since it can convey confidence to consumers and business people. However, it can best be thought of a barometer of the economy instead. But the Dow can do poorly even if the economy is doing well because there other factors which effect the valuation of stocks, such as changes in interest rates, risk premiums, etc.
What drives the US economy? That is an enormous subject, far beyond the confines of this forum. However, politicians give themselves way, way too much credit (and blame towards the other guy) for the workings of the economy. Essentially, the US economy has risen by about 3% per year since the Depression, regardless of who was President or what taxes or government spending was doing. That is a testament to the industrious and ingenuity of the American people (and I'm a Canadian). Though governments do shape and effect the economy, it is the American people who are far, far more important agents in the dynamism of the American economy.