The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 326 points (2.1%) on Feb. 3, triggering a flood of stock market crash talk.
January wasn't any better - the Dow suffered its worst January since 2009 and its worst month since May 2012, deflating 5.3%. (The S&P 500 slid 3.6%, also its worst monthly performance since May 2012, and the Nasdaq dropped 1.7%, its worst since October 2012.)
Three factors are making market-watchers fearful of a full-blown stock market crash:
- The Dow climbed 27.36% in 2013.
- An official market correction - defined as a decline of 10% or more - hasn't happened since 2011.
- The VIX, Wall Street's volatility measure and "fear gauge," climbed almost 9% on Feb. 3, its highest level since October 2013.
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