How can anyone be surprised?

The markets are falling for a reason. No amount of interference by governments is going to take away that reason.

Confidence? There is no confidence in failure. This is the natural outcome of poor decisions.

Let the market re-balance naturally. No intervention.

Laura Roberts, London, UK

Steve of Watford:
You really think that is scary, the stock market fell by 93 Billion pounds. and Gordon Brown & Darling invested today alone 40 Billions, trying to buck the trend. One world order is around the corner. Add up all the money these Gov is putting in, where is it GOING? Hello everyone.

daphne kenward, Cambridge, UK

If the American economy is the bad virus maybe
we should be working on our firewall. Will anyone
treat American Business the same after this ?

Are people dithering now, making the situation
worse? Or is the American problem only just
started, ... I wonder.

M Walker, Nr bromsgrove, Worcs

Hang on Hang on so the markets are dropping controlled by the same people who caused the problem in the first place
is it not in the interest of the banks/finances companies to force the market down and get the taxpayers/governments to bail them out yet again talk about big brother scary.

steve, watford, UK

...In the meantime--if anybody has got over £50,000 to invest in savings--they are advised to switch it to a German OR an Irish Bank.
Did you hear that Mr Darling?

William Grierson, Kimpton, UK

So, people are selling shares and buying govt bonds. And the govt is thinking of using the money to buy shares. Have I got it?
Then the shares will go up, bonds down, and people will sell bonds to buy shares, losing more money in the process. For 'people' read 'pension funds' I expect.

andrew, cirencester,

The USA has just spent £700 billion, and the outcomes is still falling shares. This doesnt lok good

Sunny, Coventry,

A question from someone who is quite ignorant. If Gordon Prune only secures up to £50,000 in the event of a complete bank crash, doesn't that mean that should it actually happen, less tax payers money will be liable than Ireland et al who are likely to owe a lot more? Someone please clarify....

James Cullup, Oxford,

For an investor to hear that the U.K. government does not wish to guarantee all U.K. deposits, it really does make one wonder why!

Barbara, Hereford, U.K.

Yen is King.

Kara Swart, London, UK

There's nothing quite so gross as city gamblers in panic mode.
Headless chickens have more sense of direction!

David Cotterell, Cheltenham, Uk

It might be better to look at what happens after banks, shares and currencies collapse. The world will still go on ...

Chris, London,

Rightly or wrongly, Irish, Greeks, Germans all acted decisively. There's no right answer, but by not doing so, Mr GB is causing more fear in the markets. Is this the experienced man we are suppose to rely on? Has he ever been in control in a crisis? Or is he just another Novice?

DT, London,

the eu dead,euros adead duck,they cannot agree on anything it took the americans two goes.prime ministers job is to look after uk,you know who your friends are when the going get tuff,
germany puts germany first,mr brown dont fiddle whilst the uk burns. lets have a vote on europenow.

markwilde, coalville, leicester

""In the last 24 hours, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have been spending a lot of time on the phone."
Great experience in making phone calls and photo ops looking as if doing something, but where in the last decade was or now is 'Judgement'?

Damian, Brighton, UK

Oh dear...

Nick, London,

What has happened is simply fraud! The financial markets have dressed mutton as lamb. It is time to start prosceuting the managers of banks so that the world knows that white collar fraud is blue collar fraud and that that these CEO's, lauded by the press, are no different to common theives.

Chris Innis, London, UK

The financial markets will not turn around till after the American election. 9.8 Trillion of American debt. What is unstabling the global markets, I am surprised that Wall Street missed it. London Stock Market missed it, Frankfurt missed it.
All the Governments are doing is wasting their money.

Daphne Kenward, Cambridge, UK