One year after each of the S&P 500 Index’s 10 worst one-day drops, the Index notched double-digit positive returns in all but one instance—and remained positive three and five years later, too. The chart below doesn’t include reinvested dividends, which would have made returns even higher.
10 Worst Single-Day Percent Declines for US Stocks 1981–2021
Date | Cause | Annualized (%) | ||||
One-Day Fall (%) | # Days To Reach Previous High | Return After 1 Year | Return After 3 Years | Return After 5 Years | ||
1. October 19, 1987 | Black Monday | 20.47 | 264 | 23.19 | 11.59 | 13.03 |
2. March 16, 2020 | COVID-19 Pandemic |
11.98 | 19 | 66.07 |
? | ? |
3. March 12, 2020 | COVID-19 Pandemic |
9.51 | 20 | 58.96 |
? | ? |
4. October 15, 2008 | Global Financial Crisis |
9.03 | 15 | 20.79 | 10.50 | 13.34 |
5. December 1, 2008 | Global Financial Crisis |
8.93 | 6 | 35.85 | 15.11 | 17.22 |
6. September 29, 2008 | Global Financial Crisis | 8.79 | 410 | 4.14 | 1.60 | 8.87 |
7. October 26, 1987 | Black Monday 2.0 | 8.28 | 5 | 23.59 | 10.20 | 12.92 |
8. October 9, 2008 | Global Financial Crisis |
7.62 | 3 | 17.76 | 8.30 | 12.73 |
9. March 9, 2020 | COVID-19 Pandemic |
7.60 | 57 | 41.10 |
? | ? |
10. October 27, 1997 | Asian Financial Crisis |
6.87 | 8 | 21.48 | 16.30 | 0.47 |
Past performance does not guarantee future results. Data shown is for the S&P 500 Price Index as of 12/31/21 and does not include the reinvestment of dividend payments. Indices are unmanaged and not available for direct investment. Data Sources: Morningstar, Ned Davis Research, and Hartford Funds, 2/22.
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S&P 500 Index is a market capitalization-weighted price index composed of 500 widely held common stocks.
Important Risks: Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal.