Economic security

Is the Economy About to Collapse?

Since the turn of the new year, U.S. stocks have alternatively peaked and plunged like a gut-wrenching roller coaster, appearing ready to soar to new heights or dive to panic-inducing depths on any given day. 

But unlike in 2007 and 2008, when risky financial practices and underlying economic weakness were driving the country toward a recessionary cliff, frightened traders are now the ones with their fidgety hands on the controls. The Dow Jones industrial average has often swung by hundreds of points in daily trading over the last few weeks. The index ended Friday up more than 313 points, only hours after plunging Thursday to its second-lowest bottom in nearly two years.