Who am I kidding. I TOLD YOU SO. Here’s me, the day after Bush beat Kerry:

I predict a disastrous 2004-2008 for America because of this election. But that is not my hope. I hope I’m wrong.

Leaving aside (for the moment) some of Bush’s record on issues like Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine, the Department of Justice, Guantanamo, job creation, Social Security, Blackwater, “ownership society,” spying on Americans, water torture, immigration reform, and more — here’s a quick review of Bush’s Presidency in terms of the stock market.

[SECOND UPDATE, OCTOBER 10 2008] This week brought the largest loss ever for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The average value of the 30 selected stock prices, which represent some of the biggest American corporations, went down by some 18% in seven days.

[UPDATE, OCTOBER 9 2008] As of today, we have seen the worst 7-day period in the history of the stock market since the 1970s, and before that: 1932. If trends continue, we’ll be in the biggest stock market decline since the Big One. Thanks so much for all of that Republican deregulation, folks!

Earlier figures from emptywheel, October 9 2008 figures from the New York Times.:

[Dow Jones Industrial Average]
January 19, 2001: 10,587.59
September 29, 2008: 10,365.45
[OCTOBER 9 2008: 8,579.19]

NASDAQ Jan 19, 2001 = 2770.38
NASDAQ September 29, 2008 = 1983.73
[NASDAQ OCTOBER 9 2008: 1645.12]

[Consumer Price Index]
CPI, January 19, 2001: 175
CPI, September 29, 2008: 219

Dollar exchange with Euro, January 19, 2001: 1.068
Dollar exchange with Euro, September 29, 2008: .695