Starting the week off on a sour note is nothing new for the markets. Falling over 500 points today, the Dow continues a trend it started three months ago. Since July, the Dow has posted gains on only 2 of the last 13 Mondays (including today). In fact, the index’s performance on each of the last three Mondays has been particularly weak – with declines of 504, 373, and 778 points.



Other notable numbers on this weak Monday:

The Dow Industrials fell below 10,000 for the first time since October 2004. Recall, it first closed above 10,000 in March 1999.



The Nasdaq Composite is poised for its first close below 1,900 since September 2004.



The CBOE Volatility Index, often referred to as “The VIX” , has soared to levels not seen since the late 1980s. Often used as a measure of fear in the markets, the VIX hit a high today of over 56. If these highs hold at the close, it will be the first time the VIX closes above 50 since November 1987.



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