Which event caused the Dow Jones Industrial Average to enter a bear market in March 2020?

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the Dow Jones Industrial Average to enter a bear market in March 2020.

The 2020 stock-market crash began as investors assessed the likely economic effects of the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Travel restrictions, business closures, supply-chain disruptions, and uncertainty about public-health policy pushed prices lower around the world. The Dow entered bear-market territory on March 11, 2020, after falling more than 20% from its February peak.

U.S. exchanges triggered several circuit breakers during the most turbulent sessions. On March 16, the Dow fell 2,997.10 points, then the largest one-day point drop in its history. Governments and central banks responded with emergency fiscal, monetary, and lending measures, while markets began a powerful rebound later in the spring.

The crash is sometimes described as purely a financial event, but its immediate catalyst was a public-health emergency. The sell-off also overlapped with an oil-price shock after a breakdown in cooperation between major oil producers, adding pressure to already distressed markets.