US and Japan Markets Dive

The day after a $700 billion economic rescue package failed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday, September 29, markets around the world dove steeply. In the United States, the Dow fell 777 points, and the Nikkei in Japan fell 4.1% to a three-year low.

The graph at right shows the Nikkei's fall. Too small to read, but the vertical line tells the story.

Markets in the United States open within the next hour, and the world will be watching and hoping for both a successfully passed economic package and increased investor confidence.