The week in graphics

It has been one of the worst weeks for the banking industry for decades. With the US and UK markets already badly hit by the sub-prime crisis, respected US bank Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday night.

When the stock exchanges opened on Monday this triggered spectacular falls.

MONDAY 15 SEPTEMBER

An anxious Wall Street trader watches as share prices dive

Lehman Brothers and fellow US bank Merrill Lynch saw their respective values plunge. Merrill Lynch was then bought by Bank of America.

Stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic tumbled, as these live updating charts show.

DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE: 14 July 2008 - present

FTSE 100 INDEX: 14 July 2008 - present

TUESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER

Central banks around the globe pumped funds into the money markets, including $50bn (£28bn) from the US Federal Reserve, £20bn from the Bank of England and 70bn euros ($100bn; £56bn) from the European Central Bank.

WEDNESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER

AIG, the US's largest insurance company, became the latest victim of the credit crunch on Wednesday as the US Federal Reserve announced it was lending the company $85bn in return for an 80% stake.

The dramatic move was part of an effort to save AIG from bankruptcy, and also an attempt to stem further damage to the global financial system.

THURSDAY 18 SEPTEMBER

A financial giant took shape in the UK as Lloyds TSB revealed details of its £12bn takeover of Halifax Bank of Scotland. The merger arose after HBOS shares plummeted to dangerous levels.

The new bank is the biggest mortgage lender in the UK, as well as the largest provider of current accounts.

Asian markets were also hit hard on Thursday and the Nikkei fell to a three-year low.

NIKKEI 225 INDEX: 14 July 2008 - present

By close of markets on Thursday, billions of dollars had been wiped off stock markets worldwide.

However, the US Federal Reserve also announced it was releasing $180bn (£99bn) of extra money to five other main central banks, including the Bank of England and the European Central Bank, in a co-ordinated move to lift the amount of funds available.

FRIDAY 19 SEPTEMBER

Markets rallied on Friday with the news of a US government plan to buy billions of dollars of US banks' bad mortgage-related loans.