FBMKLCI 1496.99 DJ-634.76 CRUDE OIL 77.61 RM 2.97

The Dow Jones industrials fell 634.76 points, the first trading day since Standard & Poor's downgraded American debt. It was the sixth-worst point decline for the Dow in the last 112 years and the worst drop since December 2008. Every stock in the Standard & Poor's 500 index declined Monday. The market is under a lot of stress that really has little to do with the downgrade. Investors are focused on worries about another recession and "how Europe and the U.S. are going to work their way out of a high debt burden" if economic growth remains slow.

Oil plunged to its lowest price of the year Monday on concerns about the slowing global economy and future demand for oil and gas. Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude fell $5.57, or 6.4 percent to settle at $81.31 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That is the lowest settlement price of the year for crude, but it's still higher than the $71.63 per barrel low of the past 12 months. Oil hit that on Aug. 24 of last year, when a combination of disappointing economic news and abundant supplies drove down prices.