NEW YORK, March 12 (Reuters) - The Cboe Volatility Index
.VIX , known as Wall Street's "fear gauge," jumped on Thursday
in its biggest-ever one-day surge as U.S. stocks confirmed a
bear market and the benchmark S&P 500 .SPX index tumbled 9.5%.
The VIX ended Thursday's session at 75.47, a more than
21-point jump over its already elevated closing level of 53.9 on
Wednesday. The index is at its highest level since November
2008.