Is the stock market in a correction?
The S&P 500 closed at 7,376.86 on Nov 6, 2026, 5.7% below its record close of 7,818.93 on Oct 6, 2026. That is not a correction: a correction means a decline of 10% or more from the record, which would take the index below 7,037.04; a bear market (20% or more) would mean a close below 6,255.14.
S&P 500: how far below its record, last 5 years
Weekly closes as a % of the highest close to date (0% = a record).
Every S&P 500 correction and bear market since 1950
26 declines| Peak | Bottom | Decline | Type | Peak to bottom | Record regained | Peak to new record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 19, 2025 6,144.15 |
Apr 8, 2025 4,982.77 |
-18.9% | Correction | 48 days | Jun 27, 2025 | 4 months |
| Jan 3, 2022 4,796.56 |
Oct 12, 2022 3,577.03 |
-25.4% | Bear market | 9 months | Jan 19, 2024 | 2.0 years |
| Feb 19, 2020 3,386.15 |
Mar 23, 2020 2,237.40 |
-33.9% | Bear market | 33 days | Aug 18, 2020 | 6 months |
| Sep 20, 2018 2,930.75 |
Dec 24, 2018 2,351.10 |
-19.8% | Correction | 3 months | Apr 23, 2019 | 7 months |
| Jan 26, 2018 2,872.87 |
Feb 8, 2018 2,581.00 |
-10.2% | Correction | 13 days | Aug 24, 2018 | 7 months |
| May 21, 2015 2,130.82 |
Feb 11, 2016 1,829.08 |
-14.2% | Correction | 9 months | Jul 11, 2016 | 14 months |
| Oct 9, 2007 1,565.15 |
Mar 9, 2009 676.53 |
-56.8% | Bear market | 17 months | Mar 28, 2013 | 5.5 years |
| Mar 24, 2000 1,527.46 |
Oct 9, 2002 776.76 |
-49.1% | Bear market | 2.5 years | May 30, 2007 | 7.2 years |
| Jul 16, 1999 1,418.78 |
Oct 15, 1999 1,247.41 |
-12.1% | Correction | 3 months | Nov 16, 1999 | 4 months |
| Jul 17, 1998 1,186.75 |
Aug 31, 1998 957.28 |
-19.3% | Correction | 45 days | Nov 23, 1998 | 4 months |
| Oct 7, 1997 983.12 |
Oct 27, 1997 876.99 |
-10.8% | Correction | 20 days | Dec 5, 1997 | 59 days |
| Jul 16, 1990 368.95 |
Oct 11, 1990 295.46 |
-19.9% | Correction | 3 months | Feb 13, 1991 | 7 months |
| Oct 9, 1989 359.80 |
Jan 30, 1990 322.98 |
-10.2% | Correction | 4 months | May 29, 1990 | 8 months |
| Aug 25, 1987 336.77 |
Dec 4, 1987 223.92 |
-33.5% | Bear market | 3 months | Jul 26, 1989 | 23 months |
| Oct 10, 1983 172.65 |
Jul 24, 1984 147.82 |
-14.4% | Correction | 9 months | Jan 21, 1985 | 15 months |
| Nov 28, 1980 140.52 |
Aug 12, 1982 102.42 |
-27.1% | Bear market | 20 months | Nov 3, 1982 | 23 months |
| Jan 11, 1973 120.24 |
Oct 3, 1974 62.28 |
-48.2% | Bear market | 21 months | Jul 17, 1980 | 7.5 years |
| Nov 29, 1968 108.37 |
May 26, 1970 69.29 |
-36.1% | Bear market | 18 months | Mar 6, 1972 | 3.3 years |
| Sep 25, 1967 97.59 |
Mar 5, 1968 87.72 |
-10.1% | Correction | 5 months | Apr 29, 1968 | 7 months |
| Feb 9, 1966 94.06 |
Oct 7, 1966 73.20 |
-22.2% | Bear market | 8 months | May 4, 1967 | 15 months |
| Dec 12, 1961 72.64 |
Jun 26, 1962 52.32 |
-28.0% | Bear market | 6 months | Sep 3, 1963 | 21 months |
| Aug 3, 1959 60.71 |
Oct 25, 1960 52.20 |
-14.0% | Correction | 15 months | Jan 27, 1961 | 18 months |
| Aug 3, 1956 49.64 |
Oct 22, 1957 38.98 |
-21.5% | Bear market | 15 months | Sep 24, 1958 | 2.1 years |
| Sep 23, 1955 45.63 |
Oct 11, 1955 40.80 |
-10.6% | Correction | 18 days | Nov 14, 1955 | 52 days |
| Jan 5, 1953 26.66 |
Sep 14, 1953 22.71 |
-14.8% | Correction | 8 months | Mar 11, 1954 | 14 months |
| Jun 12, 1950 19.40 |
Jul 17, 1950 16.68 |
-14.0% | Correction | 35 days | Sep 22, 1950 | 3 months |
Declines of 10% or more on daily closing prices, measured from a record close to the lowest close before the record was regained. Durations are calendar time.
Frequently asked questions
Is the stock market in a correction right now?
The S&P 500 closed at 7,376.86 on Nov 6, 2026, 5.7% below its record close of 7,818.93 on Oct 6, 2026. That is not a correction: a correction means a decline of 10% or more from the record, which would take the index below 7,037.04; a bear market (20% or more) would mean a close below 6,255.14.
What is a stock market correction?
A correction is a fall of 10% or more from a record close; a decline of 20% or more is called a bear market. These are conventions, not official definitions, and we measure them on daily closing prices, so intraday lows can look slightly deeper.
How often does the S&P 500 have a correction?
Since 1950 the S&P 500 has had 15 corrections (declines of 10% to 20%) and 11 bear markets (20% or more) that were later fully recovered — about 3.4 a decade. Corrections averaged 14.2% and took about 8 months from the peak to a new record; bear markets averaged 34.7% and about 3.2 years.
What was the biggest S&P 500 crash since 1950?
The deepest decline on closing prices ran from Oct 9, 2007 to Mar 9, 2009, 56.8% from peak to bottom; the old record was regained on Mar 28, 2013.
Source: daily index closes from Yahoo Finance (the Dow Jones series there starts in 1992). Completed episodes only in the averages. Not investment advice. Updated Nov 6, 5:37 PM ET.