Coordinated interest-rate cuts around the world failed to reassure investors that the global financial crisis would end soon.

Stocks fell for the sixth consecutive day after a whipsaw session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished down 189.01 points, or 2.0%, at 9258.10, its lowest close in more than five years. The blue-chip average moved higher in the morning, was down more than 250 points at its intraday low in the afternoon, and rose again before losing ground at the end of the day.

The...