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Not very merry: U.S. stocks plunge before Christmas

President Donald Trump’s attacks on the Federal Reserve spooked the stock market on Christmas Eve, and efforts by his Treasury secretary to calm investors' fears only seemed to make matters worse, contributing to another day of heavy losses on Wall Street.

The major stock indexes fell more than 2 percent Monday, nudging the market closer to its worst year since 2008. Stocks are also on track for their worst December since 1931, during the depths of the Great Depression.

The market has been roiled for most of the month over concerns about a slowing global economy, the escalating trade dispute with China and another interest rate increase by the Federal Reserve.