The year 2020 was a wild one for Wall Street, bookended by the end of the longest bull market in history with the battering of equities by the COVID-19 shutdowns, and a bungee-cord rebound on hopes for economic recovery that resulted in the shortest bear market on record.
But the slide only lasted until March 23, when the S&P bottomed. It went on to surpass its February high on Aug. 18, marking the start of a new bull market. The 23 trading days of bear market were the fewest ever. All in all, uncertainty and fear related to the pandemic made for the S&P 500's most volatile year in over a decade, with the index surging or slumping 2per cent or more in over 40 sessions.