Have you ever wondered how the corporations important to the Valley’s economic health are doing — on average? The Shenandoah Equity Index (© 2008 by bridgewaterva.com) is the answer. It is weighted by the market capitalization of each of the companies listed. These companies, in turn, are the companies with significant local operations commonly tracked in “Stocks of Local Interest.” Stocks such as Microsoft with no particular local presence, included on others’ lists simply because many people hold them, are excluded.

The index calculates what $10,000 invested in this collection of companies on New Year’s Day 2008 would be worth now. The table that can be displayed below also shows how each of the companies has done.

This page is not investment advice. Past results are no indication of future performance. Stock market investments are not bank insured and may lose value. But you already knew that, didn’t you? Anyway, here’s the index for your entertainment and enjoyment (hit F5 or refresh if the table doesn’t appear):

People sometimes want to know how we’re doing in the Valley relative to national averages. In the current downturn, the answer is “not so good.” Below is a chart showing how much the overall stock market has changed since New Year’s Day.

(For the technically inclined and the lawyers reading this page: The asset tracked below is a Diamond®, an asset intended to track the Dow Jones Industrial Average®. Although one could casually say the percentage reflects “how the Dow has done since New Years,” one would want to totally respect the intellectual property of the copyright and trademark owners.)