Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will host the call with the president's Working Group on Financial Markets, known colloquially as the "Plunge Protection Team."

WASHINGTON HAS A PLUNGE PROTECTION TEAM?

Yes, although it does not deal exclusively with Wall Street panic. The Working Group dates to March 1988 when Washington was still trying to figure out what was behind the "Black Monday" stock market crash of October 1987. Then-President Ronald Reagan created the group to find ways to keep financial markets operating smoothly. The group also met in 2008 during a profound financial crisis and issued recommendations for overhauling banking regulations and rules on mortgage lending. The group, however, does not always meet during a crisis. In 1999, the group issued a report asking Congress to change laws on derivatives markets.