Last Friday, January 18, 2008, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 12,099.30. This past Friday, January 25, 2008, the DJIA closed at 12,207.17, a gain of 107.87 points. No big deal, right?

Except during the week, it got as low as 11,644.08 and as high as 12,481.60. That's a swing of 837.52 points, or almost 7%, in just four days (Monday was the Martin Luther King Day holiday). Wednesday's swing alone was almost 600 points.

Lesson learned: today's stock market is not for the feint of heart. Also, don't panic. It will all work itself out in the end...