thanks for your time. >> thanks. have a great day. a market alert, folks. the dow continues to plunge today. it is down 244 points. it picked up a little. at one point it was down around 300. s&p 500 and nasdaq also down. all of this volatility after the italian prime minister said he would step down after parliament approves his reform bill. the end now of a colorful leadership there. nbc's chief correspondent richard engel joining me on the phone from rome. richard, good afternoon to you. >> reporter: good afternoon. italy's economy has almost been in free fall the last 24 hours or so. berlusconi said he would resign, but he didn't say exactly when. he said he would resign after the country, after parliament specifically passes his series of reforms. a lot of people don't take