The Great Recession: The numbers tell the story

The numbers.. the good, the bad and the ugly

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_meltdown_by_the_numbers

NEW YORK – A year ago this weekend, the Dow Jones industrial average had just finished a slow-motion crash. Over eight days, it fell 2,400 points, or 22 percent, and stood at 8,451.

One year later, the Dow is at 9,865. It's up 51 percent from a 12-year low of 6,547 on March 9 — when some investors feared the financial world was coming to an end.

But the complete story of the Dow's journey since the economy soured goes back a little further. Two years ago this week, on Oct. 7, 2007, the Dow set its record high of 14,164.

What followed was a three-act play. For five months, from October 2007 through the collapse of investment bank Bear Stearns in mid-March 2008, the Dow fell 2,000 points in an orderly fashion as investors anticipated a garden-variety recession. From mid-March until Labor Day, the Dow rose and fell but was little changed. Right after Labor Day, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers and AIG failed over 10 days. The credit markets froze, and investors panicked, fearing another Great Depression. There were rallies amid the downward spiral that ensued, but over six months — until the low on March 9 — the Dow fell 5,000 points.

they quit going to Walmart.
So, the recession abruptly ended.
Didn't you get the memo?

Wecession.