Chart Shows the Peak of US Investor Panic Today
The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 1,000 points amid global panic.
-- Following a global sell-off in Asia and Europe, U.S. stocks took what looked like could be a historic beating today. Investors panicked as the Dow Jones industrial average fell about 1,000 points at the opening bell before recovering today.
The Dow's largest point decline in history took place on Sept. 29, 2008, when it lost 777.68 points, and its largest percentage decline was Oct. 19, 1987, when it lost 22.6 percent.
The Dow had its worst day in four years on Friday, losing about 530 points -- down 3.1 percent -- at the close of New York trading that day. Shares continued to plunge today related to concerns about China's slowdown and other economic concerns.
By mid-day the blue-chip index was down more than 300 points, or more than 2 percent.
Get real-time updates as this story unfolds. To start, just "star" this story in ABC News' phone app. Download ABC News for iPhone here or ABC News for Android here.