Which US stock-market crash followed the COVID-19 pandemic’s global spread in March 2020?

The 2020 stock market crash followed the COVID-19 pandemic’s global spread in March 2020.

As governments introduced travel restrictions, business closures, and stay-at-home measures, investors rapidly reassessed corporate earnings and economic activity. The resulting sell-off affected stock, oil, credit, and other markets around the world.

The S&P 500 entered a bear market on March 12, 2020, and reached its pandemic-era closing low on March 23. US exchanges triggered circuit breakers on March 9, 12, 16, and 18 when major indexes fell far enough to halt trading temporarily. Central banks and governments then announced extensive monetary and fiscal support.

The crash was unusually sharp but relatively brief compared with many historic collapses. Equity markets recovered strongly later in 2020, helped by policy support, vaccine developments, and expectations of economic reopening. The crisis is distinct from the 2008 crash, which centered on financial and housing-system failures.