Market facts from Wired

Here is a reprinted list of 10 facts that Wired.com gave about the current market situation:

The Dow has lost about 2,000 points since a $700 billion bailout package was signed into law Oct 3.

The Dow closed at its 52-week high (14,198.10) exactly one year ago today.

The Dow hit is 52-week low today (8,579.19).

The Dow closed below 8,600 for the first time since May 2003.

Today saw the largest intraday point swing in Dow history: 868.95 points. The second largest was three days ago: 797.44, when the Dow closed down by 369.88.

The largest one-day Dow point drop was 11 days ago: 777.68.

On the first day of trading after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks the Dow lost 684 points (7.13 percent) -- roughly the same as today.

Today's percentage loss for the Dow -- 7.33 percent -- is the 11th largest ever. The largest percent change for the Dow occurred on Oct. 19, 1987 (22.61 percent), a loss of 508 points. On Oct. 28 and 29th, 1929 -- the crash which precipitated the Great Depression -- the Dow lost nearly 25 percent in two days.

Eleven of the Dow's 20 worst percentage losses have occurred in September and October.


Before today's rout, government estimates put the loss to retirement savings at $2 trillion in the last 15 months.

Not sure if it's because I'm overseas or on vacation, but it all seems very removed. I wonder if people are feeling the same way in the US or if it's a skewed view generated by the US media.