Markets Collapse: What You Need to Know

Markets are starting the week in classic risk-off fashion, ignoring what has been a better-than-expected earnings season thus far and focusing once again on the challenges facing Europe and their residual effects on global economic activity. Today, the headlines revolve around Spain, the fourth-largest economy in Europe, and the news that multiple regions of the country are in need of support from the central government. As of 3 p.m. EDT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 were both trading 1% lower, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was down 1.3%. In the following video, editor/analyst Brenton Flynn runs through the main headlines affecting the market today, and provides a summary of earnings releases from McDonald's and Hasbro.

Day-to-day market volatility is the norm when investing in stocks, and it always picks up around earnings season. However, individual investors with a long-term focus can benefit from this by buying great stocks at attractive prices. If you're looking for some long-term investing ideas, let me invite you to read the Fool's brand-new special report: "The 3 Dow Stocks Dividend Investors Need." It's absolutely free, so just click here and get your copy today.

At the time thisarticle was published Brenton Flynn has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool owns shares of Hasbro and McDonald's. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Hasbro and McDonald's. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.