Thank you HG. The s&p 500 seems to be the most used performance benchmark.
Look at this page for BP charts, it's pretty convenient: http://stockcharts.com/charts/candleglance.php?$BPNYA,$BPCOMPQ,$BPOEX,$BPNDX,$BPSPX,$BPINDU,$BPDISC,$BPSTAP,$BPENER,$BPFINA|E