Worst plunge in history of the market during the week of Trump's State of the Union? What are the odds?
The Dow Jones was a little over 25,000 points when Trump took the stage in Ohio, and stood at about 24,500 when he concluded his remarks.
While Trump spoke, the average fell to a low point of 24,148 before rebounding to 24,523 at the approximate time Trump ended his speech.
On a volatile day, the Dow Jones index closed down 4.9 percent, or 1,175 points to 24,345.
Trump and members of his Cabinet have repeatedly touted the rising market in making the case for Trump's economic stewardship. Since Trump was elected president, the Dow Jones is still up about 20 percent. It stood at 19,827 on Jan. 20, 2017. The Dow had closed at a record high of 26,616 two weeks ago.
But worries about a bubble in the market have been aired for months as the Dow Jones set record after records, and the massive selloff in recent days will add to speculation that a market correction is now taking place. The market dropped 665 points Friday.
Investors have been spooked in part by reports of a humming U.S. economy. The monthly jobs report released on Friday showed the economy adding 200,000 jobs last month and also suggested that wages may be increasing.
This has increased the sense that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates to check inflation.
All three major news networks pulled from Trump’s speech to cover the massive market drop. As the president spoke, the networks showed a graphic of the market drop in the corner.
DOW: Normal Bull Market Correction (video)
[Right Scoop] Now of course the Dow changes within the day and right now it is hovering around the -1,000 mark.But the reason I’m posting on this is to provide some explanation for the big drops we are seeing in the stock market.
In the video below, an investment strategy expert explains that the falls we are seeing today are expected as the market corrects itself from uninterrupted growth over the last year. You don’t have to watch the full video, just the first minute or two: