Stocks Bounce, End Mixed

Stocks seesawed throughout the day, finally ending today's session mixed, with the Dow closing up. The markets struggled to rebound from serious losses sustained after Bear Stearns' fire sale; buyer JPMorgan Chase's stock closed up 11%. The Dow ended up 21.16 at 11,972.25, the Nasdaq down 35.48 at 2,177.01, and the S&P 500 down 11.54 at 1,276.70.

"I'm optimistic as to the ultimate outcome, but the failure of a major bank is something that goes beyond the isolated event and creates a great deal of systemic risk for the financial markets," one expert told CNNMoney. The dollar also hit an all-time low against the euro, and a 13-year low against the yen. (More stock market stories.)