Wall Street Tumbles as Obama Takes Office

Jan. 20, 2009— -- NEW YORK (AP) -- The dawn of the Obama presidency could not shake Wall Street from its dejection over the banking industry's growing problems.

After hearing the new president's inaugural address Tuesday, investors went back to unloading stocks, sending the major indexes down more than 3 percent and the Dow Jones industrials down more than 300 points. Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange paused at times to watch the inauguration ceremony and Obama's remarks, but the transition of power didn't erase investors' intensifying concerns about the struggling economy.

Obama said the economic recovery would be difficult and that the nation must choose "hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord" to overcome the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Investors are expecting Washington will be a central part of the economic recovery. But the first few minutes of Obama's term did little to ease their concerns.

"At this stage, markets in general and bank investors specifically are really looking to government as the way out," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank. "Certainly, of just about all of inaugurations that I can recall today's event probably has the not only the symbolic importance but really tangible importance to the stock market."

Obama's speech suggested Wall Street would see greater oversight: "Without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control," he said.

Financial stocks led the market lower. Investors already nervous about the state of U.S. banking were rattled Tuesday by the Royal Bank of Scotland's forecast that its losses for 2008 could top $41.3 billion, the biggest ever for a British corporation. The British government injected more money into the struggling bank Monday. The government also announced another round of bailouts for the country's banks.

The moves in Britain are designed to insure banks against further losses and are similar to steps the U.S. government has made to protect Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America. Both companies on Friday reported multibillion dollar fourth-quarter losses. Citigroup also said it planned to split its operations in two in an effort to return to profitability.