The 2020 COVID-19 stock-market crash reached its lowest closing point for the Dow Jones Industrial Average on March 23, 2020.
The Dow closed at 18,591.93 on March 23, after falling rapidly as the coronavirus pandemic spread and governments imposed restrictions on travel, business, and public gatherings. The crash also reflected an oil-price shock, when negotiations between OPEC and Russia broke down in early March.
Trading was repeatedly interrupted by circuit breakers on March 9, March 12, March 16, and March 18. The Federal Reserve and other central banks introduced large emergency measures, while governments announced fiscal support. Markets then rebounded sharply from the March low as investors anticipated vaccines, stimulus, and economic reopening.
The March 23 close was the Dow’s pandemic-era low, not the low for every major index. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite reached their own lows around the same period, and the economic downturn itself was severe even though financial markets recovered unusually quickly.