It's been a week to forget for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI), which has now lost ground in six of the past eight days. The Dow was down 1.1% on the day, finishing off the index's worst week of the year. China reported 8.1% first-quarter GDP growth, which disappointed, as economists were expecting around 8.3% growth. Worries also intensified about the debt crisis in Europe as bond yields rose in both Spain and Italy.

While the Dow had a bad day overall, these three stocks fared much worse.

Company

Percent Change Today
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) (5.34)
JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) (3.64)
Alcoa (NYSE: AA) (3.15)

JPMorgan Chase fell today even after reporting solid earnings that beat expectations. The bank logged earnings per share of $1.31 versus analyst expectations of $1.18. The company, which recently passed the Federal Reserves's stress tests, will initiate a $15 billion stock -buyback program and raise its dividend to $0.30. Still, investors were not satisfied with JPMorgan's outlook and its ability to contain costs. JPMorgan and Wells Fargo's earnings, along with macro issues, also helped send down Bank of America more than 5% on the day.

Alcoa rounds out the three losers of the Dow today, losing just over 3%. The aluminum giant reported impressive earnings after the bell Tuesday, posting earnings per share of $0.09 while analysts expected a loss of $0.04. China's disappointing GDP numbers clearly were the primary driver behind Alcoa's drop today, as the company is one of the most exposed on the Dow to the Middle Kingdom. On Tuesday, Alcoa trimmed its outlook for China aluminum consumption by 1%, though the company reiterated its global aluminum demand growth forecast of 7%. Overall, Alcoa's share price still had a solid week, ending up 2.3% the past five days.

Outside the Dow, Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) reported solid first-quarter earnings after the bell yesterday but still declined more than 4% in trading today. The search-engine giant increased earnings 24% year over year and saw 39% growth in paid clicks. But investors were concerned about a 12% drop in cost per click, a key metric that has now declined in two straight quarters. The company also announced that it will create a new class of its stock, which may have irked investors, as it dilutes shareholders' voting power.

The big picture
While it's important to pay close attention to the market, it's also important to not to get too worked up about what happens in the short term. The most successful stock picks are usually great business that can grow and continue to succeed over many years. Our analysts have uncovered one such company in our new report, "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2012." It highlights a company that is revolutionizing commerce in Latin America. You can get instant access to the name of this company -- it's absolutely free.