Fourth-worst drop ever for Dow

Not only did stocks end their five-day winning streak, they erased more than half the gains. The Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index, one of the broadest market gauges, lost nearly 9 percent.

Erasing any lingering doubts, there was also finally an officially declared recession — in progress in the United States since December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the nonprofit group of economists that classifies business cycles.

“This is just another episode in a long story and the story is all about recession and the question is how long and how deep,” said Chuck Widger, chief executive and chairman of investment management firm Brinker Capital. “We’re going to have continuing volatility until investors have better visibility.”

“All the data is being filtered to answer the two questions of how deep and how long the recession will be,” he added.

The selling was broad and deep. All 30 of the stocks in the Dow Jones industrial average finished lower. On the New York Stock Exchange, more than 7 stocks fell for every one that rose.