Stocks Absorb Another Pounding on Mounting Euro Debt Fears

Stocks plunged again Thursday on concerns that Europe is still struggling to prevent its persistent debt crisis from spreading to some of its largest economies, pushing several to the brink of a recession.

Making matters worse, Morgan Stanley issued a watered down global economic growth outlook and warned that the U.S. and 17 Eurozone counties were "hovering dangerously close to a recession."

Investors wasted little time selling off shares across the board, sending the Dow Jones Industrial average down 419 points, or 3.7%, while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 shed 131 and 53 points, respectively.

Meanwhile, investors looking for a safe haven pushed gold up to a record high of $1,829.70 an ounce.

Here's a closer look at the details behind Thursday's free fall:

Dow Jones Industrial average: 

·         Down 419.63 points, or 3.68%, to 10990.58.

·         Down two of the past three trading days.

·         Largest one-day points & percentage decline since Wednesday, August 10, 2011.

·         Lowest closing value since Wednesday, August 10, 2011.

·         An intraday high of 11406.50 occurred at 09:30:02 today.

·         An intraday low of 10881.60 occurred at 10:06:49 today, down 528.61 points, or 4.63%.

·         One of the 30 component stocks rose, 29 fell.

·         Today's top contributors to the Dow's movement and their points contribution: WMT (1.82).

·         Today's laggards: (-57.90), CVX (-33.60), CAT (-32.62), UTX (-29.74), MMM (-26.56).

·         Traded in negative territory for 100 percent of the day.

·         DJIA moved 9687 points during today's trading session.

·         The average tick today was 0.87 point.

·         The market capitalization of the DJIA fell $120.0B today.

·         Down 22.41% from its record close of 14164.53 on Tuesday, October 09, 2007.

·         Rose 7.00% from 52 weeks ago.

·         Down 14.21% from its 2011 closing high of 12810.54 on Friday, April 29.

·         Up 2.52% from its 2011 closing low of 10719.94 on Wednesday, August 10.

·         Off 14.21% from its 52 week high of 12810.54 on Friday, April 29, 2011.

·         Up 10.06% from its 52 week low of 9985.81 on Thursday, August 26, 2010.

·         Month-to-date: down 9.49%.

·         Year-to-date: down 5.07%.

 Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index

·         Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market, 11823.05 (prelim)*, down 581.87 points, or 4.69%, or approximately $687 billion in market capitalization

·         Down 13 of the past 19 trading days.

·         Largest one-day points & percentage decline since Monday, August 08, 2011.

·         Lowest closing value since Wednesday, August 10, 2011.

·         Down 3922.34 points, or 24.91% (approximately $5.3 trillion in market cap), from its record close f 15745.39 on Tuesday, October 09, 2007.

·         Up 73.87% (approximately $5.9 trillion in market cap), from the 12-½ year closing low of 6800.08 on March 9, 2009.

·         Rose 6.79% from 52 weeks ago.

·         Down 17.37% from its 2011 closing high of 14308.37 on Friday, April 29.

·         Up 2.10% from its 2011 closing low of 11580.34 on Monday, August 08.

·         Down 17.37% from its 52 week high of 14308.37 on Friday, April 29, 2011.

·         Up 9.62% from its 52 week low of 10785.39 on Thursday, August 26, 2010.

·         Month-to-date: down 12.54%.

·         Year-to-date: down 9.96%, or approximately $1.6 trillion in market cap.

Data Courtesy of Dow Jones Indexes

 

 

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Investment products
MORE FROM FINANCIAL PLANNING