Worst Sell-Off Since Late 2008; Dow Plunge 512.76 Points

NIGHTMARE ON WALL STREET
Major Indexes are all in the red for 2011
The VIX {Fear Index) jumped to a new high
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) may have halted its losing streak on Wednesday, but the bears were back with a vengeance today. Ahead of tomorrow's highly anticipated nonfarm payrolls report, Wall Street was none too impressed with the weekly jobless data from the Labor Department. The discouraging stats sparked an ominous note ahead of the July jobs report, and buyers hit the exits en masse as the session progressed.

By the time the bell mercifully sounded, the DJIA found itself more than 500 points south of breakeven, marking its worst single-session drop since Dec. 1, 2008. On the flip side, the CBOE Market Volatility Index (VIX - 31.66) -- or the Street's "fear barometer" -- skyrocketed more than 35% to tag a new 52-week high, marking its heftiest daily percentage gain since early 2007.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA – 11,383.68) steepened its slide as the closing bell approached, surrendering 512.76 points, or 4.3%, by the bell. In fact, all of the Dow's 30 blue chips ended in the red, as not even soon-to-split Kraft Foods (KFT) could eke out a win. Blazing the path lower was Alcoa (AA), which suffered a 9.3% plunge, while McDonald's (MCD) emerged as the least scathed, dropping just 1.5%.

In similar fashion, the S&P 500 Index (SPX – 1,200.07) snowballed 60.3 points, or 4.8%, but found a late-session foothold atop the 1,200 level. Finally, the Nasdaq Composite (COMP – 2,556.39) cascaded 136.7 points, or 5.1%, to end at a new year-to-date nadir.

HAPPY TRADING