11 craziest market days of 2011

It was a rollercoaster of a year for the U.S. stock market.

Turmoil in Libya and the housing crisis
Turmoil in Libya and the housing crisis
Date: February 22, 2011
Dow: -174, down 1.4%

Escalating political unrest in Libya, a 6% spike in oil prices, and weak housing numbers all contributed to a stock market rout in mid-February -- the first big hit to U.S. stocks this year. It was the eighth day of anti-government protests in Libya, which produces about 2% of the world's oil, and investors feared that protests would hit other major oil providing countries. On top of this, a report from the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index showed the last quarter of 2010 turned out to be a dismal one for national home prices, which fell 4.1% from 2009.

Little did we know then that Muammar Qaddafi's days were numbered and that a 1.4% slide in the Dow would soon feel quaint.



By Sierra Jiminez @FortuneMagazine - Last updated December 29 2011: 5:17 AM ET
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