The Dow Jones Industrial Average is one of the best-known stock market indexes. A beacon of proven stability, value, and income, the index has had a great 2023, posting a year-to-date return of 12.8%.

While there's a lot to like about the Dow, I wouldn't buy a Dow exchange-traded fund (ETF) outright, mainly because there are five stocks in it that I'm not at all interested in owning: Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ: WBA), Merck (NYSE: MRK), Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO), and IBM (NYSE: IBM).

Here's why I'd avoid these five stocks, and why the rest of the Dow looks like a good place to invest for 2024.

Continue reading

Source Fool.com