The number of laid-off workers receiving unemployment benefits has jumped to an all-time high near 5 million while new jobless claims remain well above 600,000. Both figures were worse than expected and new projections from the Federal Reserve show unemployment rising for the rest of this year. ...more

February 20, 2009

The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled to its lowest close in more than six years on Thursday as sharp declines in key financial shares led the market lower. ...more

February 19, 2009

Wall Street joined stock markets around the world in a huge sell-off Friday, sending major market indexes to their lowest levels in more than five years on the belief that a punishing economic recession is at hand. A grim outlook from electronics maker Sony helped trigger the selling, and another bleak forecast from the automaker Daimler added momentum to the drop. ...more

October 25, 2008

Wall Street suffered through another extraordinary and traumatic session Monday, with the Dow Jones industrials plunging as much as 800 points - their largest one-day point drop - before recovering to close with a loss of 370. The catalyst for the selling, which also took the Dow below 10,000 for the first time in four years, was investors' growing despair that the spreading credit crisis will take a heavy toll around the world. ...more

October 6, 2008

Financial markets extended their declines Tuesday, with the Dow falling more than 150 points, as investors worried that lawmakers were beginning to doubt the necessity of a broad government bailout for financial institutions as a way to revive ailing credit markets. ...more

September 24, 2008

Wall Street's angst over the ongoing fallout from the credit crisis made for a turbulent end to a volatile week Friday - stocks tumbled, soared and then turned south again as investors tried to assess the dangers faced by the country's biggest mortgage financiers, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. ...more

July 12, 2008

Wall Street ended a frenetic January with a huge advance Thursday after investors set aside worries about bond insurers and grew more optimistic that the Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts will indeed help lift the economy. The Dow Jones industrials rose more than 200 points but had its worst January in eight years. ...more

February 1, 2008

Stocks advanced solidly Thursday, led by strong gains among the blue chips and mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp., which signaled a possible thawing in the credit markets with the announcement it had lined up additional financing. ...more

September 14, 2007