The correct answer is: C. dividends.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is a price-weighted average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq. The DJIA is a price-weighted average, which means that each stock’s price is given a weight based on its price. This means that stocks with higher prices have a greater impact on the DJIA than stocks with lower prices.
The total return of an investment is the sum of the price appreciation and the dividends received. In the case of the DJIA, if the price appreciation was 6% and the dividends were 5%, then the total return would be 11%.
The tax treatment of capital gains is not relevant to the question, as the question is about the total return of the DJIA, not the tax treatment of capital gains.
The cumulative wealth effect is the increase in wealth that results from the accumulation of capital gains. The cumulative wealth effect is not relevant to the question, as the question is about the total return of the DJIA, not the cumulative wealth effect.
Profits are the difference between the revenue generated by a company and the costs incurred by the company. Profits are not relevant to the question, as the question is about the total return of the DJIA, not the profits of the companies in the DJIA.