Dow Jones Indexes has launched the Global Dow, a global index of 150 blue-chip stocks, spanning 25 countries. It only took 112 years, since the original Dow’s publication in 1896, for the index flagship to go global.

The Global Dow Index universe is defined as all publicly traded securities in markets that are open to foreign investment. Companies’ size, reputation and importance in the global economy are among criteria for inclusion, Dow Jones Indexes said in a statement. Index stocks are chosen both from developed and emerging markets, and from new as well as established sectors; for example, traditional oil and gas as well as alternative energy.

Stocks in the Global Dow are equally weighted and are rebalanced annually in September. Composition changes are expected to be rare, and typically will occur following corporate acquisitions or other significant changes in a component company’s core business.

The Global Dow includes all 30 components in the U.S. index. The U.S. is the largest single country weight in the index, at 42 percent; Japan is second, at 10 percent; followed by the U.K., France and Germany.