The S&P 500 just posted its first four-week loss since August 2011, and with it came some dizzying ups and downs. Shares of Fortune 500 companies, indeed, were even wilder. What happened? There was tumult everywhere, as stocks of various energy, mining, and retail companies registered fleeting double-digit percentage swings.
![FINAL_CHA_VOLATIL_01_WEB[1]](https://content.fortune.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/final_cha_volatil_01_web1.jpg)
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Source: FactSet Research Systems
This story appears in the November 17, 2014 issue of Fortune.
Scott DeCarlo is the VP of research at Fortune, where he oversees the publication’s signature lists, including the Fortune 500, Global 500, World’s Most Admired Companies, and Fastest-Growing Companies.
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