Dow Jones Top Performers: These 5 Blue Chips Show Strongest Gains

Visa led Dow Jones gainers on August 24, 2026 with a gain of 2.65% to $380.87. The payment services provider thereby topped the list of strongest blue chips in the current trading week, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.31% overall on August 28.

The Five Strongest Dow Gainers at a Glance

On August 24, the following five Dow stocks recorded the highest price gains in the midday session (as of 4:40 p.m. ET):

• Visa (V): +2.65% to $380.87
• Travelers (TRV): +2.35% to $372.13 – the insurer gained 31.59% over the past twelve months
• UnitedHealth Group (UNH): +1.94% to $397.69 – the stock was 34.52% higher than six months prior
• Walt Disney (DIS): +1.9% to $109.83
• Alphabet Class A (GOOGL): +1.74% to $350.83 – over twelve months, gains totaled 67.32%

Other Dow stocks with solid gains on August 24 included JPMorgan Chase (+1.44% to $356.66), Amazon (+1.43% to $262.32), and Johnson & Johnson (+1.38% to $273.97). Walmart rounded out the winners list with a gain of 1.13%.

Dow Outperforms S&P 500 and Nasdaq

On August 24, the Dow Jones traded at 53,419.17 points at 11:37 a.m. ET, representing a daily gain of 0.27%. The S&P 500 declined 0.23% in the same period, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.44%. Market observers cited weakness in the chip sector as the main reason, which weighed on the technology-heavy Nasdaq. The Dow, by contrast, benefited from gains in the communications and financial services sectors.

On August 28, this relative strength continued: the Dow gained 0.31%, while the Nasdaq Composite at 26,130.2 points declined 0.08% and the S&P 500 at 7,713.38 points recorded a loss of 0.20%.

Nvidia Quarterly Results Drive Tech Sector

On August 27, Nvidia (NVDA) provided additional momentum: the stock closed with a price gain of nearly 9% following the release of strong quarterly results. The chipmaker thereby approached its record highs from May 2026. Analysts from Wall Street said the quarterly results had dampened concerns ahead of publication, even though some concerns remained. The tech sector benefited from this momentum, driving the Nasdaq significantly higher on August 27.

2026 Year-to-Date Rankings: Merck in the Lead

Year-to-date in 2026, Merck leads the Dow Jones rankings, as analysis from August 26 showed. Cisco, Amgen, and Coca-Cola follow on the next positions. Nvidia fell back in the year-to-date rankings following a weaker summer, while Nike ranks at the lower end and could potentially be removed from the index long term.

Record Corporate Profits from Tariff Refunds

US companies recorded an exceptional earnings increase in the second quarter of 2026: annualized corporate profits were $400 billion higher than in the first quarter – the largest dollar-value increase outside the COVID-19 recovery. A significant driver was approximately $71 billion in tariff refunds that companies received in May and June 2026.

These refunds resulted from the Supreme Court's decision in February 2026 to declare most of the tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump in 2025 unconstitutional. Economists noted that most companies had previously passed tariff costs on to consumers, but the refunds now boosted their balance sheets.