Investors take $75-billion loss as stocks post worst day of year

By Joe Bel Bruno

Feb. 15, 2012 12 AM PT

Wall Street wrapped up its worst day of the year, with the Dow Jones industrial average posting its largest one-day point and percentage drop since Dec. 28. Here’s how America’s most-watched index is faring:

The index fell 97.33 points, or 0.76%, to 12780.95 – its first drop in three trading days.
Five of the Dow’s 30 components finished higher.
The index is down 9.77% from its record close of 14164.53 reached on Oct. 9, 2007; but it is up 95.22% from its 12-year closing low of 6547.05 on March 9, 2009.
The Dow is up 4.01% from 52 weeks ago, and 4.61% so far this year.

An even wider barometer of the stock market, the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index, fell about a half percent on Wednesday. The drop equates to a paper loss of about $75 billion during the session.

However, the index is up 7.67% since the start of the year, and that’s about $1.2 trillion in gains to investors.

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