If you can find Grandpa's old army helmet today might be a good day to don it, as global markets go crashing.
Markets in Asia started the rout - or continued Friday's capitulation, if you prefer - as the Chinese Securities Index, CSI 300, went limit down at one point, with trading halted after it fell over 9%.
Meanwhile, around 8.5% was wiped from the Shanghai Composite overnight after a raft of worsening economic data in recent days and weeks has prompted overseas investors to pull the plug.
Richard Hunter, head of equities at UK stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown said: “China’s contribution to a potential global slowdown has unsettled markets again this morning, with sellers pushing against an open door.”
Connor Campbell at spread betting firm Spreadex added: “The latest move by the PBoC [People's Bank of China] saw the central bank announce that local government-managed pension funds will be able to invest in the markets for the first time, in an attempt to pour billions of yuan into an equity market that is currently drowning in losses.”
Many observers expected the PBoC to take more decisive action over the weekend to shore up sentiment, but when that did not happen, investors stampeded for the exits.
If the UK experience is anything to go by, minerals companies will be bearing the brunt of the devastation when US markets open today.
In pre-market trading Freeport McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) was off 6.2%.
Elsewhere, Brent Crude and West Texas Intermediate have fallen below US$45 and US$40 a barrel respectively, so oil companies are also likely to share in the pain.
Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO), off 5.1%, was one of the big losers in pre-market trading.
Having each fallen more than 3% on Friday, the main benchmarks are set for another tough day. Spread betting quotes indicate the Dow Jones average will crash more than 500 points from Friday's close of 16,460, while the broader-based S&P 500 is seen shedding some 55 points after closing at 1,971 on Friday. The tech-heavy Nasdaq is projected to open at around 4,034, down 167 points, with Internet portal Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) off 6.6% ahead of the bell, as its stake in Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) loses value at a precipitous rate.