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what happened in the 2008 stock market crash

by Delmer Lynch II Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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The stock market crash of 2008 occurred on September 29, 2008. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 777.68 points in intraday trading. Until the stock market crash of March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the largest point drop in history.

Full Answer

What was the biggest stock market crash ever?

  • Stock market crashes can leave positive legacies in their wake — even though they cause plenty of immediate pain.
  • In the US, stock market crashes led to the creation of the Federal Reserve System, the SEC, and the FDIC.
  • While the triggers for stock market crashes vary, the ultimate outcome is always the same: the market recovers.

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What was the worst market crash?

The Wall Street Crash, or better known as the Great Crash, was the American stock market crash that occurred in 1929. The crash started in September and ended in October when share prices on NYSE collapsed. It was one of the worst stock market crashes in history. The crash followed the London Stock Exchange’s crash of September.

When was the last stock market crash?

Accumulating your wealth can take years. And if the stock market crashes, you can lose a large sum of money in a short period of time. But those losses are temporary and if you can stay invested, you should earn everything back. The last three stock market crashes happened in 2000 through 2002, 2008, and in March 2020.

When will the stock market collapse?

“Stocks are on their last legs,” he declares, predicting that the market will plummet 80%. Indeed, in the first two to three months of 2022, it will drop more than 50%, Dent, a Harvard Business School MBA, foresees. The essential problem, he says, is that “the market bubble is expanding; the economy is slowing rapidly.”

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What happened in the 2008 financial crisis?

The crisis rapidly spread into a global economic shock, resulting in several bank failures. Economies worldwide slowed during this period since credit tightened and international trade declined. Housing markets suffered and unemployment soared, resulting in evictions and foreclosures. Several businesses failed.

What crashed the market in 2008?

The stock market crashed in 2008 because too many had people had taken on loans they couldn't afford. Lenders relaxed their strict lending standards to extend credit to people who were less than qualified. This drove up housing prices to levels that many could not otherwise afford.

What caused the 2008 market crisis?

Key Takeaways. The 2007-2009 financial crisis began years earlier with cheap credit and lax lending standards that fueled a housing bubble. When the bubble burst, financial institutions were left holding trillions of dollars worth of near-worthless investments in subprime mortgages.

Who is to blame for the Great Recession of 2008?

The Biggest Culprit: The Lenders Most of the blame is on the mortgage originators or the lenders. That's because they were responsible for creating these problems. After all, the lenders were the ones who advanced loans to people with poor credit and a high risk of default. 7 Here's why that happened.

Who got rich during the 2008 financial crisis?

Hedge fund manager John Paulson reached fame during the credit crisis for a spectacular bet against the U.S. housing market. This timely bet made his firm, Paulson & Co., an estimated $2.5 billion during the crisis.

How long did it take for the stock market to recover after 2008?

The S&P 500 dropped nearly 50% and took seven years to recover. 2008: In response to the housing bubble and subprime mortgage crisis, the S&P 500 lost nearly half its value and took two years to recover. 2020: As COVID-19 spread globally in February 2020, the market fell by over 30% in a little over a month.

How long did it take to recover from 2008 recession?

Real GDP bottomed out in the second quarter of 2009 and regained its pre-recession peak in the second quarter of 2011, three and a half years after the initial onset of the official recession.

How many banks failed in 2008?

Failed Banks This year alone, 12 banks have gone under. Take a look at the failures of 2008 (in chronological order), as measured by total assets and the cost to the FDIC's deposit insurance fund, aka taxpayers. >>

What was the financial crisis of 2008?

The 2008 financial crisis had its origins in the housing market, for generations the symbolic cornerstone of American prosperity. Federal policy conspicuously supported the American dream of homeownership since at least the 1930s, when the U.S. government began to back the mortgage market. It went further after WWII, offering veterans cheap home loans through the G.I. Bill. Policymakers reasoned they could avoid a return to prewar slump conditions so long as the undeveloped lands around cities could fill up with new houses, and the new houses with new appliances, and the new driveways with new cars. All this new buying meant new jobs, and security for generations to come.

What was the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000?

Congress gave them one way to do so in 2000, with the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, deregulating over-the-counter derivatives—securities that were essentially bets that two parties could privately make on the future price of an asset. Like, for example, bundled mortgages.

What did Jim Bunning call the bailouts?

Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky called the bailouts "a calamity for our free-market system" and, essentially, "socialism"—albeit the sort of socialism that favored Wall Street, rather than workers. Earlier in the year, Paulson had identified Lehman as a potential problem and spoke privately to its chief executive, Richard Fuld.

When did Paulson say the government would not rescue Lehman?

By the weekend of September 13-14, 2008, Lehman was clearly finished, with perhaps tens of billions of dollars in overvalued assets on its balance sheets.

What was the financial environment like in the early 21st century?

The financial environment of the early 21st century looked more like the United States before the Depression than after: a country on the brink of a crash. pinterest-pin-it. An employee of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. carrying a box out of the company's headquarters after it filed for bankruptcy.

What happened in 2008?

By the fall of 2008, borrowers were defaulting on subprime mortgages in high numbers, causing turmoil in the financial markets, the collapse of the stock market, and the ensuing global Great Recession.

How much did the Dow drop in 2008?

The Dow would plummet 3,600 points from its Sept. 19, 2008 intraday high of 11,483 to the Oct. 10, 2008 intraday low of 7,882. The following is a recap of the major U.S. events that unfolded during this historic three-week period.

What mortgages are lethal?

Among the most potentially lethal of the mortgages offered to subprime borrowers were the interest-only ARM and the payment option ARM, both adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs). Both of these mortgage types have the borrower making much lower initial payments than would be due under a fixed-rate mortgage. After a period of time, often only two or three years, these ARMs reset. The payments then fluctuate as frequently as monthly, often becoming much larger than the initial payments.

How much credit did Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac extend in 2002?

As of 2002, government-sponsored mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had extended more than $3 trillion worth of mortgage credit. In his 2002 book Conquer the Crash, Prechter stated, "confidence is the only thing holding up this giant house of cards.". 2 .

What bank did the FDIC take over?

After a 10-day bank run, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) seizes Washington Mutual, then the nation's largest savings and loan, which had been heavily exposed to subprime mortgage debt. Its assets are transferred to JPMorgan Chase (JPM). 8 

When did the subprime mortgage market start?

Read on to learn how the explosive growth of the subprime mortgage market, which began in 1999, played a significant role in setting the stage for the turmoil that would unfold just nine years later in 2008 when both the stock market and housing market crashed.

What bank bought Merrill Lynch?

Panic ensued in the money market fund industry, resulting in massive redemption requests. On the same day, Bank of America (BAC) announced it was buying Merrill Lynch, the nation's largest brokerage company.

Why did the stock market crash in 2008?

In all, the stock market crash 2008 as a result of a series of events that eventually led to the failure of some of the largest companies in the US.

What was the impact of the 2008 stock market crash?

There is no doubt behind the saying, that the crash pushed the banking system towards the edge of collapse.

What was the Dow value in September 2008?

The day was ended at the Dow value of 11,388.44. On September 20, 2008, the bank bailout bill was sent to Congress by Secretary Paulson and Federal Reserve Chair. The Dow fell to 777.68 points during the intraday trading that increased panic in the Global Market.

How many points did the Dow drop in 2008?

By September 17, 2008, the Dow fell by 446.92 points. By the end of the week on September 19, 2008, the Fed established the Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility that committed to offer loans to banks to buy Commerical paper from the money market funds.

How much did the Fed lose from Lehman Brothers?

By making $85 billion loans for 79.9% equity the Fed took ownership of the AIG. With the collapse of Lehman Brothers, there was a loss of $196 billion that increased the panic among many businesses. Bank has driven up the rates as they were afraid to lend money. By September 17, 2008, the Dow fell by 446.92 points.

What was the fourth cause of the 2008 financial crisis?

The fourth cause of the crash of 2008 was found to be the depression era Glass Steagall Act (1933) that allowed banks, securities firms and other insurance companies to enter into each other’s markets resulting in the formation of the bank that was too big to fail.

What were the causes of the Federal Reserve's crash?

Some of the top reasons for the crash are: Mild Recession in the Federal Reserve. Federal Reserve the Central Bank was facing a mild recession since 2001. The recession period resulted in the reduction of the federal funds rate from 6.5 to 1.75 from May 2000 to December 2001.

What was the impact of the mortgage crisis in 2006?

On November 17, 2006, the Commerce Department warned that October's new home permits were 28% lower than the year before. At this point, the mortgage crisis could have been prevented. But the Bush administration and the Federal Reserve did not realize how grave those early warning signs were. They ignored declines in the inverted yield curve. Instead, they thought the strong money supply and low interest rates would restrict any problems faced by the real estate industry.

Why did the subprime mortgage crisis in 2006 signal the beginning of the Great Recession?

The subprime mortgage crisis in 2006 signaled the beginning of the Great Recession. Because they were confident that home mortgages were sound collateral for MBS, banks and other financial corporations invested in these in the form of derivatives.

When did Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac spiral down?

August 2008 : Fannie and Freddie Spiraled Downward. Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were fully succumbing to the subprime crisis in the summer of 2008. The failure of the government-backed companies that insured mortgages signaled that the bottom was dropping out.

When did the Great Recession start?

The Great Recession began well before 2008. The first signs came in 2006 when housing prices began falling. By August 2007, the Federal Reserve responded to the subprime mortgage crisis by adding $24 billion in liquidity to the banking system. 1 By September 2008, Congress approved a $700 billion bank bailout, now known as ...

What was the unemployment rate in 2009?

In October 2009, unemployment peaked at 10% , the worst level since the 1982 recession. Almost 6 million jobs were lost in the 12 months prior to that. Employers were adding temporary workers as they grew too wary of the economy to add full-time employees.

Why did banks feel safe buying CDS?

But they felt safe because they also bought credit default swaps (CDS), which insured against the risk of defaults. But when the MBS market caved in, insurers did not have the capital to cover the CDS holders.

What stocks grew during the 2008 recession?

Contrary to investor expectations, several growth stocks including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL ), Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN ), and Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) grew during the 2008 recession, so investors don't have to ignore growth stocks to be conservative.

Why do businesses flourish during recessions?

There are some businesses that actually flourish during recessions because budget conscious consumers start paying attention to the prices and flock into discount stores or businesses that enable them to complete their DIY projects at a steep discount to services offered elsewhere.

Is Netflix a recession resistant stock?

Currently all three stocks are among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds though Netflix is declining sharply in rankings. Investors know that Netflix is recession resistant but they aren't certain that it is Disney+ resistant.

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2007

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The Dow opened the year at 12,474.52.2 It rose despite growing concerns about the subprime mortgage crisis. On December 19, 2006, the U.S. Department of Commerce warned that October's new home permits were 28% fewer than the year before.4 But economists didn't think the housing slowdown would affect the rest …
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2008

  • At the end of January, the BEA revised its fourth-quarter 2007 GDP growth estimate down.9 It said growth was only 0.6%. The economy lost 17,000 jobs, the first time since 2004.10 The Dow shrugged off the news and hovered between 12,000 and 13,000 until March.2 On March 17, the Federal Reserve intervened to save the failing investment bank, Bear Stearns. The Dow dropped …
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September 2008

  • The month started with chilling news. On Monday, September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy. The Dow dropped more than 200 points.2 On Tuesday, September 16, 2008, the Fed announced it was bailing out insurance giant American International Group Inc. It made an $85 billion loan in return for 79.9% equity, effectively taking ownership. AIG had run out of cash. It wa…
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October 2008

  • Congress finally passed the bailout bill in early October, but the damage had already been done.24 The Labor Department reported that the economy had lost a whopping 159,000 jobs in the prior month.25 On Monday, October 6, 2008, the Dow dropped by 800 points, closing below 10,000 for the first time since 2004.26 The Fed tried to prop up banks by lending $540 billion to money mar…
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November 2008

  • The month began with more bad news. The Labor Department reported that the economy had lost a staggering 240,000 jobs in October.34 The AIG bailout grew to $150 billion.35 The Bush administration announced it was using part of the $700 billion bailouts to buy preferred stocks in the nations' banks.36 The Big Three automakers asked for a federal bailout. By November 20, 20…
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December 2008

  • The Fed dropped the fed funds rate to 0%, its lowest level in history.29 The Dow ended the year at a sickening 8,776.39, down almost 34% for the year.2
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2009

  • On January 2, 2009, the Dow climbed to 9,034.69.2 Investors believed the new Obama administration could tackle the recession with its team of economic advisers. But the bad economic news continued. On March 5, 2009, the Dow plummeted to its bottom of 6,594.44.37 Soon afterward, President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan instilled the confidence nee…
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Aftermath

  • Investors bore the emotional scars from the crash for the next four years. On June 1, 2012, they panicked over a poor May jobs report and the eurozone debt crisis. The Dow dropped 275 points.39 The 10-year benchmark Treasury yield dropped to 1.47.40 This yield was the lowest rate in more than 200 years.41It signaled that the confidence that evaporated during 2008 had not q…
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Overview

The financial crisis of 2008, or Global Financial Crisis, was a severe worldwide economic crisis that occurred in the early 21st century. It was the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression (1929). Predatory lending targeting low-income homebuyers, excessive risk-taking by global financial institutions, and the bursting of the United States housing bubble culminated in a "perfect storm." Mortgage …

Causes

While the causes of the bubble and subsequent crash are disputed, the precipitating factor for the Financial Crisis of 2007–2008 was the bursting of the United States housing bubble and the subsequent subprime mortgage crisis, which occurred due to a high default rate and resulting foreclosures of mortgage loans, particularly adjustable-rate mortgages. Some or all of the following fact…

Background

The crisis sparked the Great Recession, which, at the time, was the most severe global recession since the Great Depression. It was also followed by the European debt crisis, which began with a deficit in Greece in late 2009, and the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis, which involved the bank failure of all three of the major banks in Iceland and, relative to the size of its economy, was the la…

History

The following is a timeline of the major events of the financial crisis, including government responses, and the subsequent economic recovery:
• May 19, 2005: Fund manager Michael Burry closed a credit default swap against subprime mortgage bonds with Deutsche Bank valued at $60 million – the first such CDS. He projected they would become volatile within two years of the lo…

Economists who predicted the crisis

Economists, particularly followers of mainstream economics, mostly failed to predict the crisis. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania's online business journal examined why economists failed to predict a major global financial crisis and concluded that economists used mathematical models that failed to account for the critical roles that banks and other financial institutions, as opposed to producers and consumers of goods and services, play in the economy.

IndyMac

The first visible institution to run into trouble in the United States was the Southern California–based IndyMac, a spin-off of Countrywide Financial. Before its failure, IndyMac Bank was the largest savings and loan association in the Los Angeles market and the seventh largest mortgage loan originator in the United States. The failure of IndyMac Bank on July 11, 2008, was the fourth largest bank failure in United States history up until the crisis precipitated even larger fa…

Notable books and movies

• In 2006, Peter Schiff authored a book titled Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse, which was published in February 2007 by Wiley. The book describes various features of the economy and housing market that led to the United States housing bubble, and warns of the impending decline. After many of the predictions came to pass, a second edition titled Crash Proof 2.0 was published in 2009, which included a "2009 update" addendum at the end of each c…

See also

• Banking (Special Provisions) Act 2008 (United Kingdom)
• List of bank failures in the United States (2008–present)
• 2008–2009 Keynesian resurgence
• 2010 United States foreclosure crisis

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