Wall Streets Turns In Another Dismal Performance, Dow Falls Nearly 680 Points

- After seeing initial strength, Wall Street turned lower over the course of the trading day on Thursday, sending the Dow down nearly 680 points. Despite massive efforts from the government to help shore up the troubled credit markets and boost confidence, investors remain fearful the global economy is headed for a recession. The major averages plunged in the final hour of trading, falling to their lowest closing levels in over five years. The Dow closed down 678.91 points or 7.3 percent at 8,579.19, the Nasdaq closed down 95.21 points or 5.5 percent at 1,645.12 and the S&P 500 closed down 75.02 points or 7.6 percent at 909.92. As financial markets continued their free-fall despite action by the U.S. government in terms of a $700 billion bailout, the U.S. Treasury Department is reportedly ready to inject capital directly into... [read full story]