Interactive chart of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) stock market index for the last 100 years. Historical data is inflation-adjusted using the headline CPI and each data point represents the month-end closing value. The current month is updated on an hourly basis with today's latest value.

Lehman Brothers, the fourth largest investment bank on Wall Street, declared bankruptcy on the 15th of September 2008, becoming the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. The investment house, which was founded in the mid-19th century, had become heavily involved in the U.S. housing bubble in the early 2000s, with its large holdings of toxic mortgage-backed securities (MBS) ultimately causing the bank's downfall. The bank had expanded rapidly following the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999, which meant that investment banks could also engage in commercial banking activities. Lehman vertically integrated their mortgage business, buying smaller commercial enterprises that originated housing loans, which allowed the bank to expand its MBS holdings. The downfall of Lehman and the crash of '08 As the U.S. housing market began to slow down in 2006, the default rate on housing loans began to spike, triggering losses for Lehman from their MBS portfolio. Lehman's main competitor in mortgage financing, Bear Stearns, was bought by J.P. Morgan Chase in order to prevent bankruptcy in March 2008, leading investors and lenders to become increasingly concerned about the bank's financial health. As the bank relied on short-term funding on money markets in order to meet its obligations, the news of its huge losses in the third-quarter of 2008 further prevented it from funding itself on financial markets. By September, it was clear that without external assistance, the bank would fail. As its losses from credit default swaps mounted due to the deepening crash in the housing market, Lehman was forced to declare bankruptcy on September 15, as no buyer could be found to save the bank. The collapse of Lehman triggered panic in global financial markets, forcing the U.S. government to step in and bail-out the insurance giant AIG the next day on September 16. The effects of this financial crisis hit the non-financial economy hard, causing a global recession in 2009.

Interactive chart illustrating the performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) market index over the last ten years. Each point of the stock market graph is represented by the daily closing price for the DJIA. Historical data can be downloaded via the red button on the upper left corner of the chart.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) index dropped around ***** points in the four weeks from February 12 to March 11, 2020, but has since recovered and peaked at ********* points as of November 24, 2024. In February 2020 - just prior to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the DJIA index stood at a little over ****** points. U.S. markets suffer as virus spreads The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a turbulent period for stock markets – the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also recorded dramatic drops. At the start of February, some analysts remained optimistic that the outbreak would ease. However, the increased spread of the virus started to hit investor confidence, prompting a record plunge in the stock markets. The Dow dropped by more than ***** points in the week from February 21 to February 28, which was a fall of **** percent – its worst percentage loss in a week since October 2008. Stock markets offer valuable economic insights The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a stock market index that monitors the share prices of the 30 largest companies in the United States. By studying the performance of the listed companies, analysts can gauge the strength of the domestic economy. If investors are confident in a company’s future, they will buy its stocks. The uncertainty of the coronavirus sparked fears of an economic crisis, and many traders decided that investment during the pandemic was too risky.

Interactive chart of the S&P 500 stock market index since 1927. Historical data is inflation-adjusted using the headline CPI and each data point represents the month-end closing value. The current month is updated on an hourly basis with today's latest value.

View data of the S&P 500, an index of the stocks of 500 leading companies in the US economy, which provides a gauge of the U.S. equity market.

The value of the DJIA index amounted to ********* at the end of March 2025, up from ********* at the end of March 2020. Global panic about the coronavirus epidemic caused the drop in March 2020, which was the worst drop since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Dow Jones Industrial Average index – additional information The Dow Jones Industrial Average index is a price-weighted average of 30 of the largest American publicly traded companies on New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, and includes companies like Goldman Sachs, IBM and Walt Disney. This index is considered to be a barometer of the state of the American economy. DJIA index was created in 1986 by Charles Dow. Along with the NASDAQ 100 and S&P 500 indices, it is amongst the most well-known and used stock indexes in the world. The year that the 2018 financial crisis unfolded was one of the worst years of the Dow. It was also in 2008 that some of the largest ever recorded losses of the Dow Jones Index based on single-day points were registered. On September 29, 2008, for instance, the Dow had a loss of ****** points, one of the largest single-day losses of all times. The best years in the history of the index still are 1915, when the index value increased by ***** percent in one year, and 1933, year when the index registered a growth of ***** percent.

Colombia's main stock market index, the COLCAP, rose to 1688 points on July 11, 2025, gaining 0.32% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 2.40% and is up 23.15% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Colombia. Colombia Stock Market (IGBC) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is a stock market index used to analyze trends in the stock market. While many economists prefer to use other, market-weighted indices (the DJIA is price-weighted) as they are perceived to be more representative of the overall market, the Dow Jones remains one of the most commonly-used indices today, and its longevity allows for historical events and long-term trends to be analyzed over extended periods of time. Average changes in yearly closing prices, for example, shows how markets developed year on year. Figures were more sporadic in early years, but the impact of major events can be observed throughout. For example, the occasions where a decrease of more than 25 percent was observed each coincided with a major recession; these include the Post-WWI Recession in 1920, the Great Depression in 1929, the Recession of 1937-38, the 1973-75 Recession, and the Great Recession in 2008.

Interactive chart of the S&P 500 stock market index over the last 10 years. Values shown are daily closing prices. The most recent value is updated on an hourly basis during regular trading hours.

Greece's main stock market index, the Athens General, fell to 1960 points on July 11, 2025, losing 0.44% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 5.67% and is up 34.97% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Greece. Greece Stock Market (ASE) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

Thailand: Stock market value traded w/o top 10 firms, % of total value traded: The latest value from 2020 is 68.17 percent, an increase from 56.57 percent in 2019. In comparison, the world average is 48.10 percent, based on data from 28 countries. Historically, the average for Thailand from 1998 to 2020 is 67.71 percent. The minimum value, 50.44 percent, was reached in 2008 while the maximum of 79.4 percent was recorded in 2000.

Key information about Russia RTS

• Russia RTS closed at 1,142.4 points in Feb 2025, compared with 949.5 points at the previous month end
• Russia Equity Market Index: Month End: RTS data is updated monthly, available from Sep 1995 to Feb 2025, with an average number of 1,055.6 points
• The data reached an all-time high of 2,459.9 points in May 2008 and a record low of 43.8 points in Sep 1998

Key information about India Sensitive 30 (Sensex)

• India Sensitive 30 (Sensex) closed at 73,198.1 points in Feb 2025, compared with 77,500.6 points at the previous month end
• India Equity Market Index: Month End: BSE: Sensitive 30 (Sensex) data is updated monthly, available from Apr 1979 to Feb 2025, with an average number of 4,285.0 points
• The data reached an all-time high of 84,299.8 points in Sep 2024 and a record low of 115.6 points in Nov 1979

• In the latest reports, SENSEX recorded a daily P/E ratio of 20.6 in Mar 2025

Israel: Stock market value traded w/o top 10 firms, % of total value traded: The latest value from 2018 is 51.64 percent, a decline from 57.02 percent in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 41.83 percent, based on data from 40 countries. Historically, the average for Israel from 1998 to 2018 is 50.71 percent. The minimum value, 42.22 percent, was reached in 2008 while the maximum of 58.36 percent was recorded in 1999.

India's main stock market index, the SENSEX, fell to 82500 points on July 11, 2025, losing 0.83% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 0.99% and is up 2.46% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from India. BSE SENSEX Stock Market Index - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

Stock market index in Luxembourg, June, 2025 The most recent value is 97.69 points as of June 2025, an increase compared to the previous value of 97.53 points. Historically, the average for Luxembourg from January 1999 to June 2025 is 111.63 points. The minimum of 49.62 points was recorded in April 2020, while the maximum of 250.49 points was reached in June 2008. | TheGlobalEconomy.com

Turkey: Stock market value traded w/o top 10 firms, % of total value traded: The latest value from 2020 is 68.82 percent, an increase from 50.87 percent in 2019. In comparison, the world average is 48.10 percent, based on data from 28 countries. Historically, the average for Turkey from 1998 to 2020 is 52.27 percent. The minimum value, 38.07 percent, was reached in 2008 while the maximum of 68.82 percent was recorded in 2020.

Interactive daily chart of the Chinese Shanghai Composite stock market index back to 1990. Each data point represents the closing value for that trading day and is denominated in chinese yuan (CNY). The current price is updated on an hourly basis with today's latest value.

Interactive historical chart showing the daily level of the CBOE VIX Volatility Index back to 1990. The VIX index measures the expectation of stock market volatility over the next 30 days implied by S&P 500 index options.