In 1883, journalists Charles Dow and Edward Jones started a newsletter, the Customers Afternoon Letter, which aggregated pricing information and other updates for traders at the New York Stock Exchange.

Five years later, the paper rebranded, and The Wall Street Journal was born, with Dow as its first editor. In 1896, the paper began to publish daily the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the first of several indices in its stable. These were humble origins for the index and benchmarks industry