Worst Wall Street Months in History

Floyd Norris had an article two days ago that listed the worst months for the market in U.S. history. I'm not a believer that the stock market is a barometer for the overall health of the economy (I think the stock market operates on momentum and emotion, where the economy tends to slog forward or backward with fewer rapid ups and downs), however it is interesting to see how this crazy month has stacked up historically. It should be noted that the

1. October 1987, -21.8%
2. August 1998, -14.6%
3. September 2008, -13.8%
4. September 1974, -11.9%
5. November 1973. -11.4%
6. September 2002, -11.0%
7. November 1948, -10.6%
8. March 1980, -10.2%
9. September 1946 -10.2%
10. August 1990, -9.4%

Article @ NYTIMES

Image: ralphunden