Recession much?

If you aren't paying attention, now would be a good time to start.

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk Global credit crunch, facts and figures The panic in world financial markets has led to sharp falls in share prices and led to the contraction of credit markets. BBC News looks at how key indicators around the world have moved as recession fears grow. MARKET DATA - 18:30 UK FTSE 100 5708.4down -48.50 Dax 6721.2down -7.74 Cac 40 4591.4down -27.36 Dow Jones 12038.2up 9.11 Nasdaq 2448.9up 19.22 S&P 500 1338.6up 0.77 BBC Global 30 5486.0down -72.61 Marketwatch ticker Twelve months ago interest rates were 5.25%. By 30 January they had dropped to 3%. They are now 2.25%, as of 18 March. Wall Street bank Bear Stearns collapsed when other banks lost confidence in the value of its investments in sub-prime mortgages. It was bought by JPMorgan Chase in March. Underlying the financial market wobblies is a real decline in US house prices nationwide for the first time since the 1930s.