Below 8,000, Dow Continues to Drop

Stocks took a slide at the open today, following a disastrous session yesterday that saw the Dow fall below the 8,000 mark. The Dow shed 160 points at the open, accompanied by 21- and 17-point declines in the Nasdaq and S&P. Stocks have fallen nearly 8% this week alone as fears over the auto and financial industries have run wild.   (Read more stock market stories.)