Dow Crashes Below 12000

A steep downturn in the stock market Friday capped a sixth straight week of losses, marking a 1.4-percent decline and sending the Dow below 12000 for the first time since mid-March. The latest slide is the longest since 2002, and follows a series of negative economic reports in recent weeks, particularly in the job sector. Investors say they’re worried that the slump might last longer than predicted. "There's a growing idea that perhaps this slowdown is not as temporary as it looks," said John Brady, senior vice president at MF Global. Energy and financial stocks saw serious declines.