Which stock-market crash followed the first confirmed COVID-19 cases and produced the fastest bear market in U.S. history?

The 2020 stock-market crash followed the global spread of COVID-19 and produced the fastest bear market in U.S. history.

As governments introduced travel restrictions, business closures and other measures to slow transmission, investors rapidly revised expectations for economic activity and corporate earnings. From its February 2020 peak, the S&P 500 entered bear-market territory in March, meaning a decline of at least 20% from a recent high. The speed of the fall was extraordinary.

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates, restored emergency lending facilities and supported financial-market liquidity. Congress also approved large fiscal measures, while many governments introduced income support and business assistance. These interventions, followed by vaccine development and economic reopening, helped markets recover even as the public-health crisis continued.

The 2020 crash is sometimes blended with the later inflation and interest-rate sell-off of 2022. They were related to the pandemic era but were separate market episodes with different immediate drivers.