The first was the depth of the preceding collapse.

ECONOMIST: Argentina

Lemme make my case: The post-2006 collapse in housing starts plumbed an unprecedented depth, from 2 million starts to the 2009 nadir of 500, 000 units.

FORBES: How To Play Housing's Recovery

The rally came despite the collapse in the Conference Board's monthly consumer confidence index, which fueled concerns about the likely depth of the expected recession in the U.S. in the wake of the global financial crisis.

NPR: Dow Ends Up 889 Points On Expected Rate Cut

You can't look at what we've been through, you can't look at -- I should just have this thing cued up, my favorite graph, which demonstrates the depth of job loss as a result of what happened and led up to the financial collapse in September of 2008.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing