DOWS closed 400 points higher, trading in an 800-point range during session

U.S. stock indexes shot higher in a late-session bounce back from the prior day's rout, after dismal economic data was overshadowed as the price of crude dropped below $70 a barrel for the first time in more than a year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average

gained 401.35 points, or 4.7%, to end at 8,979.26.

What  angmos said,

Day-to-day, and even intra-day, swings of ~1000 points are just plain nuts. I wouldn't go anywhere near this market. The only thing that makes sense is to look at the fundamentals of the real economy, which stink. I see absolutely no mechanism that is going to change the dynamics of the situation. It is going to get much worse, as we are locked into a total negative feedback loop and the sprial is tightening. All the government can do is print up even more funny money to throw at the problem.

I suggest investing in a healthy stock of canned and dried foods and other basic supplies. If hyperinflation hits as a result of the massive (currently ~$4 TRILLION worth of) new borrowing, we may very well wind up being able to use the U.S. dollar for toilet paper, so no need to stock up on that.