Milestones in the Dow's fall and rebound

Talk about a rollercoaster.

As the Dow began its descent from record highs in late 2007, not many predicted it would fall as low as it did earlier this year -- losing more than half its value to reach 12-year lows.

However, once the trough was reached in March as the "great recession" continued to rule, the Dow has seen a steady -- and at times, sharp -- upturn, to the point where the index is up more than 50 percent from its 2009 lows.

As the Dow rides a recent wave of momentum that has seen it head toward the mid-10,000 mark, here's a look back at the 1,000-point milestones the index passed in its recent rise and fall.

(AP Photo)
Talk about a rollercoaster. As the Dow began its descent from record highs in late 2007, not many predicted it would fall as low as it did earlier this year -- losing more than half its value to reach 12-year lows. However, once the trough was reached in March as the 'great recession' continued to rule, the Dow has seen a steady -- and at times, sharp -- upturn, to the point where the index is up more than 50 percent from its 2009 lows. As the Dow rides a recent wave of momentum that has seen it head toward the mid-10,000 mark, here's a look back at the 1,000-point milestones the index passed in its recent rise and fall.