Barry Ritholtz at The Big Picture linked to a report from Jim Stack, where Mr. Stack graphically translated five bear markets in this century to correspond with today’s Dow Jones Index.

Mr. Stack provides charts that show the price decline of these Bear Markets as if they had occurred now, meaning we see the current price of the Dow (as of July, 2007) and follow it down to levels that would have been achieved (as a percentage read) if the Dow had been at current levels when it went through the bear phase.

In the most severe case in the charts (2000 – 2002), the current market would plummet to 7,000 by 2009, falling 50%.

(Graphic courtesy The Big Picture)

Neither Mr. Ritholtz nor Mr. Stack say this is what will happen in the report; in fact, neither make any predictions. The brief, graphical article merely puts past bear markets into the context of today’s market.

Read the post and compare Today’s Dow to Yesterday’s Dow.