An electronic billboard shows a graph of [Getty Images]

An electronic billboard shows a graph of trading throughout the day and the Dow Jones Industrial Average figures just after the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange August 8, 2011. US stocks plummeted more than five percent on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 625 points in the wake of Standard & Poor's unprecedented downgrade of the United States. The Dow was down 5.5 percent to 10,813.26 in closing trade, its lowest close since last October, while the broader S&P 500 fell 6.6 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 6.9 percent. AFP PHOTO / Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP STAN HONDA