SmallShop---Video News

The effects of the US financial meltdown are spreading throughout the economy, freezing credit markets and hurting banks. Despite the 700 billion dollar rescue plan for Wall Street, ordinary Americans are now beginning to feel the effects of the financial crisis and are worrying about making ends meet. VOA's Alex Villarreal gives us a Main Street perspective of the problem from a different kind of Wall Street.

Wall Street saw another extraordinary day Monday with the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunging as much as 800 points before recovering to close 370 points down. Despite the $700 billion bailout passed by U.S. lawmakers last week, analysts say there is growing fear that the credit crisis is spreading around the world. The concerns came as a U.S. House Committee began hearings Monday on the causes of the current financial crisis.

The collapse of America's fourth largest investment banks and fears about the stability of other financial institutions have led to some on the most tumultuous days in Wall Street's history. Al Jazeera's John Terrett reports on a week that has seen the Dow Jones index have its best and worst days in over half a decade.