The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 777.68 points on September 29, 2008.
The record point decline occurred after the U.S. House of Representatives rejected the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, commonly associated with the proposed $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. Investors feared that policymakers lacked a workable response to the escalating financial crisis.
The fall came during the global credit crisis that followed the collapse of the U.S. housing bubble. Problems in mortgage-related securities weakened banks, froze lending, and eventually spread through international financial markets. Lehman Brothers had filed for bankruptcy earlier in September.
The 777.68-point figure is a point change, not a percentage loss. Because the Dow's level was much higher than during earlier crashes, point records cannot be compared directly without considering percentage changes.