Which 2020 crash saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average fall 2,997 points on March 16?

The COVID-19 stock-market crash saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average fall 2,997 points on March 16, 2020.

The decline was part of a rapid global sell-off as governments restricted travel and economic activity to slow the spread of COVID-19. Investors also reacted to uncertainty about corporate earnings, unemployment, supply chains, and the oil market.

The Dow’s March 16 fall was 12.93%, its largest one-day percentage decline since Black Monday in 1987. U.S. exchanges triggered marketwide circuit breakers several times in March, temporarily pausing trading after sharp falls.

The market later recovered strongly as central banks cut interest rates, governments provided fiscal support, and investors anticipated vaccines and reopening. The speed of both the collapse and rebound made the 2020 episode distinct from slower historical crashes.