U.S. Economy in Crisis (23 images)

The "Wall Street" sign is seen with the flags that decorated the facade of the New York Stock Exchange as stocks rebound a bit from their early morning plunge after the news that the Federal Reserve has cut interest rates by .75 percentage point as recession fears grow in New York City. (UPI Photo/Monika Graff)...

A trader works in the Eurodollar options pit at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in Chicago on January 30, 2008. The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee voted Wednesday to cut its benchmark short-term interest rate by 1/2 percentage point to 3 percent. The move come only 8 days after it slashed the benchmark federal funds rate by 3/4 point, and ranks the total 1.25 percent cut among the most abrupt changes in the modern history of the U.S. central bank. (UPI Photo/Brian Kersey)

Floor traders at the New York Stock Exchange monitor the fluctuating Dow Jones numbers as Wall Street claws back from sharp losses as investors snapped up bargain stocks following JPMorgan Chase buyout of the stricken investment bank Bear Stearns on March 17, 2008. (UPI Photo/Ezio Petersen)

Philip Clark Jr. calls in orders from the Eurodollar options pit at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in Chicago on March 18, 2008. The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee voted Tuesday to lower its benchmark Fed Funds interest rate 0.75 points to 2.25 percent. (UPI Photo/Brian Kersey)