NEW YORK - DECEMBER 01:  Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange moments before the closing bell December 1, 2008 in New York City. The Dow closed down nearly 680 points following negative economic reports. The National Bureau of Economic Research said today that the U.S. economy has been in a recession since December 2007. Getty Images logo Getty Images 14 months ago

NEW YORK - DECEMBER 01: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange moments before the closing bell December 1, 2008 in New York City. The Dow closed down nearly 680 points following negative economic reports. The National Bureau of Economic Research said today that the U.S. economy has been in a recession since December 2007.