With an hour to go...

Well, it's not a disaster - but it ain't very pretty either. The Dow is down about 320 points, which is near its lows for the day. The good news is that investors didn't panic, though that might just be because everyone is still in shock over the bankruptcy of Lehman, the sale of Merrill Lynch, and the precarious position of AIG. There’s also some serious concern about the future of Washington Mutual, among others. Folks are still searching for clarity on the myriad ramifications of the weekend shakeup. Just basic information about brokerage accounts is not easy to come by. Plus, the comments by a nervous looking Hank Paulson during the daily White House press briefing couldn't have instilled much confidence. Still, he insisted that "the American people can remain confident in the soundness and resilience of our financial system."