The global stock-market collapse that followed the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020 is known as the COVID-19 crash.
Markets fell rapidly in February and March 2020 as governments restricted travel and business activity, companies lost revenue, and investors assessed the economic effects of the pandemic. On 16 March, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 13%, its largest one-day percentage decline since 1987.
US exchanges triggered circuit breakers several times in March. On 9 March, 12 March, 16 March, and 18 March, trading halts were activated after severe intraday falls. Central banks and governments then introduced large monetary, fiscal, and emergency-lending responses.
The crash was unusually abrupt. Major stock indexes reached bear-market territory in a matter of weeks, but many recovered quickly after policy support, vaccine progress, and reopening expectations changed investor sentiment. The market shock accompanied the broader COVID-19 recession rather than replacing that term.