Traders work on the floor of the New Yor

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell August 8, 2011. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.55 percent in opening trade Monday, less than had been feared after late Friday’s historic downgrade of the US credit rating by S&P. The Dow was off 177.56, or 1.55 percent, to 11,267.05 in the first 15 minutes of trade. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)