What 2020 market crash saw global stocks plunge as COVID-19 spread worldwide?

The 2020 market crash saw global stocks plunge as COVID-19 spread worldwide.

The sell-off intensified in February and March 2020 as governments introduced travel restrictions, lockdowns, business closures, and other measures to slow transmission of the novel coronavirus. Investors rapidly reassessed corporate earnings, employment, supply chains, and energy demand.

US markets entered a bear market unusually quickly. The S&P 500 fell more than 30 percent from its February peak to its March low. Trading was halted several times by market-wide circuit breakers, including on 9, 12, 16, and 18 March. Central banks and governments then announced substantial monetary and fiscal support.

The crash is often discussed together with the COVID-19 recession, but the terms are not identical. The crash describes the abrupt financial-market decline, while the recession describes the broader economic contraction. Markets recovered rapidly compared with many earlier crashes, though the pandemic’s economic effects continued.