What name describes the global stock-market crash that began in February 2020 as COVID-19 spread?

The global stock-market crash that began in February 2020 as COVID-19 spread is known as the COVID-19 market crash.

Investors rapidly repriced companies and economies as governments introduced travel restrictions, lockdowns, and business closures. Major indexes fell at exceptional speed. The S&P 500 entered a bear market on 12 March 2020, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced several historic point declines during the turmoil.

The crash was part of the broader COVID-19 recession, which included a sharp contraction in economic activity and a major rise in unemployment. Central banks cut interest rates or expanded asset purchases, while governments provided fiscal support. Markets recovered unusually quickly compared with many earlier crashes, although recovery differed greatly across sectors.

The health emergency was the trigger, but the market reaction was also shaped by an oil-price dispute between Saudi Arabia and Russia in March 2020. COVID-19 crash and COVID-19 recession therefore describe related but different phenomena.