IBM, Verizon, Merck stocks lead Dow to new highs

Key PointsThe S&P 500's market-cap weighting doesn't fully reflect the strength of Dow leaders IBM, Verizon, Merck, and Travelers.Reliable dividend stocks like Coca-Cola and 3M contribute to the Dow's traditional market indicator role.Dow stocks Apple, Microsoft, Salesforce and Amgen benefit from emerging trends like AI, cloud computing and drug development.5 stocks we like better than AlphabetYou don't hear as much about the Dow Jones Industrial Average as investors did a few decades ago, as the broad cons ...