The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2,997 points on March 16, 2020, its largest one-day point loss at that time.
The decline occurred during the COVID-19 market crash, when investors faced rapidly worsening public-health news and uncertainty about the global economy. The Dow fell 12.93%, while other major U.S. indexes also suffered steep losses.
Point records must be distinguished from percentage records. A larger point movement can occur when an index has a much higher numerical level, so historical comparisons depend on which measurement is used. That is why the 1987 crash remains the Dow’s greatest one-day percentage decline even though later sessions produced larger point losses.
Trading was halted temporarily during the session after the market’s circuit-breaker threshold was reached. Emergency policy responses followed in the United States and other economies.