It’s happening.
A bona fide selloff took hold on Wall Street Monday after investors spent weeks attempting to come to terms with the potential impact of COVID-19 as it spreads in countries outside of China, threatening to dent global supply chains and economies.
If it holds until the closing bell, the day’s decline would mark the second-biggest daily point drop for the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -3.20% in its 124-year history. The blue-chip benchmark dropped 1,079.97 points at its low, or 3.73%.
| Date | Point change | % change |
| Feb. 5 | -1,175 points | -4.60% |
| Feb. 8 | -1,032 | -4.15 |
| Feb. 24 (at low) | -1,079.97 | -3.73% |
To be sure, such drops are less meaningful because the Dow has been trading at lofty levels. For example, the Dow’s 1987 crash was a 508-point drop but represented a 23% decline overall.
Need to Know: Warren Buffett says ‘don’t buy or sell’ on the headlines as coronavirus sends stocks plunging
Monday’s selloff would mark the first time all three major benchmarks, the Dow, the S&P 500 index SPX, -3.05%, and the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, -3.44% each fell 3% on the same day since Dec. 4, 2018, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
Monday’s downturn has wiped out gains for the Dow and the S&P 500, which was trading flat for the year but in negative territory, at last check.
The S&P 500 breached its 50-day moving average for the first time since October. Technical analysts view moving averages as dividing lines between long-term and short-term bullish and bearish averages. The S&P 500’s 50-day moving average stands at 3,275.90 (see chart below).
The Dow is trading well below its 50-moving average at 28,805.54, with its 200-day moving average at 27,224.03.
Worth a read: Apple’s stock falls below its 50-day moving average for first time in nearly 6 months
Check out: Can stocks keep soaring as the U.S. dollar surges? What investors need to know
However, despite all the relative carnage being endured by the stock market presently, stocks have a tendency to rebound after a hit of at least 2%, Dow Jones Market Data show.
The last 10 times that the S&P 500 index fell by as much as 3%, for example, it declined 0.27%, on average, in the next trading session. However, the average performance improve dramatically in the following week, month and year, as shown in the table below:
| Time | % change for S&P 500 in times it has fallen at least 3% |
| Day after | -0.27% |
| 1 week after | 1.83% |
| 1 month after | 2.08% |
| 1 year after | 12.97% |
Coronavirus update: 79,407 cases, 2,622 deaths, clusters emerge in Iran and Italy
Source: Read Full Article