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Wall Street, Washington and investors around the world will be watching the market with nervous anticipation to see whether it can shake off its anxiety attack. The Federal Reserve will monitor events carefully to determine whether it should come to the rescue with a dose of easier money, as it did in 1987 to restore confidence. One fervent hope was that high-rolling investors would come roaring back into the market, looking for bargains. But while it was easy to attribute last week's chiller to everything from program trading to superstition about Friday the 13th, there was a deeper message: confidence in the stock market will remain shaky as long as the U.S. economy rests on a mountain of debt that neither politicians in Washington nor business leaders on Wall Street seem willing to confront.
CHART: NOT AVAILABLE
CREDIT: NO CREDIT
CAPTION: FRIDAY THE 13TH
Dow Jones Industrials daily closings