Dow Plunges 500 points

The Dow and S&P 500 fell over 4.5% today, while the Nasdaq composite dropped 3.6%, as concerns over the health of the financial sector intensified following the decision of Lehman Brothers to file for Chapter 11.  Here is a look at how the markets faired today:

Dow Jones Industrial Average

• The last time the Dow closed below 11,000 was on July 15, 2008, when the Dow closed at 10,962
• The last time the Dow closed down 500 points or greater was September 17, 2001 after the 9/11 attacks
• The Dow is at more than 2-yr lows, and has not closed below 10,918 since July 21, 2006
• The table to the right shows the Dow components' contribution to the 500 point loss
• Coca Cola was the only Dow component up today

Dow, S&P 500 and NASDAQ

• The last time the Dow & S&P 500 closed down greater than 4% on the same day was September 3, 2002
• The last time the Dow & S&P 500 closed down greater than 4.5% on the same day was September 17, 2001 after 9/11
• The last time the Dow, S&P 500, and the NASDAQ Composite closed down 4% or greater on the same day was also September 17, 2001
• The last time the Dow, S&P 500, and the NASDAQ all closed down 3% or greater on the same day was February 27, 2007

Bythenumbers.cnbc.com