Spring Break
Major stock market indexes fall to 1997 levels
Associated Press
Issue date: 2/23/09 Section: News
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Investors unable to extinguish their worries about a recession that has no end in sight dumped stocks again Monday. The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 251 points to its lowest close since Oct. 28, 1997, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index logged its lowest finish since April 11, 1997.
All the major indexes slid more than 3 percent. The Dow is just over 100 points from 7,000.
"People left and right are throwing in the towel," said Keith Springer, president of Capital Financial Advisory Services.
Investors pounded most financial stocks even as government agencies led by the Treasury Department said they would launch a revamped bank rescue program this week. The plan includes the option of increasing government ownership in financial institutions without having to pour more taxpayer money into them.
Although the government has said it doesn't want to nationalize banks, many investors are clearly still concerned that this could be a possibility as banks continue to suffer severe losses because of the recession. They're also worried that banks' losses will keep escalating as the recession sends more borrowers into default.
"The biggest thing I see here is the incredible pessimism," Springer said. "The government is doing a lousy job of alleviating fears."
The Treasury and other agencies issued a statement after The Wall Street Journal reported that Citigroup is in talks for the government to boost its stake in the bank to as much as 40 percent. Analysts said the market, which initially rose on the statement, wanted more details of the government's plans.
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