How Far Down Now, Dow? Rising income inequality, creeping AMT brackets, a deteriorating debt picture -- none of these seems to rise to the level of significance sufficient to galvanize the White House into action. But when life gets tough for the nation's investors -- and a five percent drop in the capital markets this week is making life tough for investors -- the White House gets going. President Bush sought to allay concerns today, convening a meeting of his top economic advisers to remind everyone that "our economy grew at 3.4 percent in the second quarter this year." Message: this is a good country to invest in. But Stocks Continue Slide Despite GDP Report, according to this afternoon's New York Times. Perspective before panic, however. When was the last time the Dow lost over 650 points in the space of a week? A mere five months ago.