Which stock index recorded the world’s largest one-day point loss during the 2020 COVID-19 crash?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average recorded the world’s largest one-day point loss during the 2020 COVID-19 crash.

On March 16, 2020, the Dow fell 2,997.10 points, or nearly 13%. The drop reflected escalating fears about the pandemic, business shutdowns, travel restrictions, and the economic consequences of emergency public-health measures. It followed another historic decline on March 9 and came during an exceptionally volatile period.

Point losses and percentage losses are different measurements. A point record depends on the index’s level, so it can be broken as the index becomes larger even when the percentage decline is smaller. By contrast, percentage records allow better comparison across decades. The Dow’s largest percentage fall remains the 1987 Black Monday decline.

The 2020 crash affected markets worldwide, but it was followed by a rapid rebound in many major indexes after governments and central banks announced huge support programs. The rebound did not mean the pandemic’s economic damage had ended; employment, public health, and many industries remained severely affected.