List of largest daily changes in the Dow Jones Industrial Average explained

This is a list of the largest daily changes in the Dow Jones Industrial Average from 1896. Compare to the list of largest daily changes in the S&P 500 Index.

Largest percentage changes

The first four tables show only the largest one-day changes between a given day's close and the close of the previous trading day,[1] [2] not the largest changes during the trading day (i.e. intraday changes).

Some sources (including the file Highlights/Lowlights of The Dow on the Dow Jones website) show a loss of −24.39% (from 71.42 to 54.00) on December 12, 1914, placing that day atop the list of largest percentage losses. The New York Stock Exchange reopened that day following a nearly four-and-a-half-month closure since July 30, 1914, and the Dow in fact rose 4.4% that day (from 71.42 to 74.56). However, the apparent decline was due to a later 1916 revision of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which retroactively adjusted the values following the closure but not those before, and it represents the only discontinuity in the index's history rather than an actual loss.[3] [4]

Largest daily percentage gains
RankDateCloseChange
Net %
162.10+8.26+15.34
21931-10-0699.34+12.86+14.87
31929-10-30258.47+28.40+12.34
42020-03-2420,704.91+2,112.98+11.37
51932-09-2175.16+7.67+11.36
62008-10-139,387.61+936.42+11.08
72008-10-289,065.12+889.35+10.88
81987-10-212,027.85+186.84+10.15
91932-08-0358.22+5.06+9.52
101932-02-1178.60+6.80+9.47
112020-03-1323,185.62+1,985.00+9.36
121929-11-14217.28+18.59+9.36
131931-12-1880.69+6.90+9.35
141932-02-1385.82+7.22+9.19
151932-05-0659.01+4.91+9.08
161933-04-1968.31+5.66+9.03
171931-10-08105.79+8.47+8.70
181932-06-1048.94+3.62+7.99
192020-04-0622,679.99+1,627.46+7.73
201939-09-05148.12+10.03+7.26
Largest daily percentage losses
RankDateCloseChange
Net %
11,738.74−508.00−22.61
22020-03-1620,188.52−2,997.10−12.93
31929-10-28260.64−38.33−12.82
41929-10-29230.07−30.57−11.73
52020-03-1221,200.62−2,352.60−9.99
61929-11-06232.13−25.55−9.92
71899-12-1858.27−5.57−8.72
81932-08-1263.11−5.79−8.40
91907-03-1476.23−6.89−8.29
101987-10-261,793.93−156.83−8.04
112008-10-158,577.91−733.08−7.87
121933-07-2188.71−7.55−7.84
132020-03-0923,851.02−2,013.76−7.79
141937-10-18125.73−10.57−7.75
152008-12-018,149.09−679.95−7.70
162008-10-098,579.19−678.91−7.33
171917-02-0188.52−6.91−7.24
181997-10-277,161.14−554.26−7.18
191932-10-0566.07−5.09−7.15
202001-09-178,920.70−684.81−7.13

Largest point changes

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was first published in 1896, but since the firms listed at that time were in existence before then, the index can be calculated going back to May 2, 1881.[5] A loss of just over 24 percent on May 5, 1893, from 39.90 to 30.02 signaled the apex of the stock effects of the Panic of 1893; the 2007–2008 crash was a 61.8 percent retracement thereof that began on October 11, 2007, and lasted until the closing low on March 9, 2009.[6]

The largest point drop in history occurred on March 16, 2020, when concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic engulfed the market, dropping the Dow Jones Industrial Average 2,997 points. The largest point gain (+2,113) occurred on March 24, 2020. As of August 4, 2020, all of the top seven and eight of the top ten largest point drops and point gains have been amid the 2020 stock market crash, which has been marked by extreme point swings.[7]

Largest daily point gains[8]
RankDateCloseChangeRef 
Net %
12020-03-2420,704.91+2,112.98+11.37[9]
22020-03-1323,185.62+1,985.00+9.36[10]
32020-04-0622,679.99+1,627.46+7.73[11]
42020-03-2622,552.17+1,351.62+6.38[12]
52020-03-0226,703.32+1,293.96+5.09[13]
62022-11-1033,715.37+1,201.43+3.70[14]
72020-03-0427,090.86+1,173.45+4.53[15]
82020-03-1025,018.16+1,167.14+4.89[16]
92018-12-2622,878.45+1,086.25+4.98[17]
102020-03-1721,237.38+1,048.86+5.20[18]
112008-10-139,387.61+936.42+11.08[19]
122022-05-0434,061.06+932.27+2.81[20]
132020-05-1824,597.37+911.95+3.85[21]
142008-10-289,065.12+889.35+10.88[22]
152022-02-2534,058.75+834.92+2.51[23]
162020-11-0929,157.97+834.57+2.95[24]
172020-06-0527,110.98+829.16+3.15[25]
182022-10-2832,861.80+828.52+2.59[26]
192022-10-1330,038.72+827.87+2.83[27]
202022-10-0430,316.32+825.43+2.80[28]
Largest daily point losses
RankDateCloseChange Ref
Net %
12020-03-1620,188.52−2,997.10−12.93[29]
22020-03-1221,200.62−2,352.60−9.99[30]
32020-03-0923,851.02−2,013.76−7.79[31]
42020-06-1125,128.17−1,861.82−6.90[32]
52020-03-1123,553.22−1,464.94−5.86[33]
62020-03-1819,898.92−1,338.46−6.30[34]
72022-09-1331,104.97−1,276.37−3.94[35]
82020-02-2725,766.64−1,190.95−4.42[36]
92018-02-0524,345.75−1,175.21−4.60[37]
102022-05-1831,490.07−1,164.52−3.57[38]
112022-05-0532,997.97−1,063.09−3.12[39]
122024-08-0538,703.27−1,033.99−2.60[40]
132018-02-0823,860.46−1,032.89−4.15[41]
142020-02-2427,960.80−1,031.61−3.56[42]
152022-08-2632,283.40−1,008.38−3.03[43]
162022-04-2233,811.40−981.36−2.82[44]
172020-04-0120,943.51−973.65−4.44[45]
182020-03-0526,121.28−969.58−3.58[46]
192020-10-2826,519.95−943.24−3.43[47]
202022-04-2932,977.21−939.18−2.77[48]

Largest intraday point swings

A point swing is the difference between the intraday high and the intraday low. (The intraday high may not be the same as the opening price; for instance, in the 2010 flash crash, the market reached an intraday high, higher than the opening price.)[49]

This is distinguished from an intraday point drop or gain, which is the difference between the opening price and the intraday low or high.

This table shows the largest intraday point swings since 1987.[50] As the "Net Change" column shows, 11 of these 20 largest intraday swings occurred during days on which the Dow declined, and 9 occurred during days on which it advanced. None of the top 20 occurred before the year 2018.

During the 2020 stock market crash, fourteen of the top seventeen positions occurred in the month of March 2020.

RankDateCloseDay highDay lowPoint swingNet change
12020-03-1323,185.6223,189.7621,285.371,904.39+1,985.00
22020-03-1221,200.6222,837.9521,154.461,683.49−2,352.60
32020-03-1620,188.5221,768.2820,116.461,651.82−2,997.10
42018-02-0524,345.7525,520.5323,923.881,596.65−1,175.21
52020-03-1819,898.9220,489.3318,917.461,571.87−1,338.46
62022-10-1330,038.7230,168.54 28,660.94 1,507.60+827.87
72020-03-1721,237.3821,379.3519,882.261,497.09+1,048.86
82020-03-2521,200.5522,019.9320,538.341,481.59+495.64
92020-03-2020,253.1520,531.2619,094.271,436.99−913.21
102020-03-0325,917.4127,084.5925,706.281,378.31−785.91
112020-03-1025,018.1625,020.9923,690.341,330.65+1,167.14
122020-03-0226,703.3226,706.1725,391.961,314.21+1,293.96
132020-03-0923,851.0224,992.3623,706.071,286.29−1,141.34
142020-03-1123,553.2224,604.6323,328.321,276.31−1,464.94
152022-01-2434,364.5034,420.9933,150.331,270.66+99.13
162020-03-1920,087.1920,442.6319,177.131,265.50+188.27
172020-06-1125,128.1726,294.0825,082.721,211.36−1,861.82
182020-03-2622,552.1722,595.0621,427.101,167.96+1,351.62
192018-02-0624,912.7724,946.2323,778.741,167.49+567.02
202018-12-2622,878.4522,878.9221,712.531,166.39+1,086.25

Largest intraday point changes

Largest intraday point gainsAn intraday point gain is defined as the difference between the opening price (which may or may not be the intraday low) and the intraday high. This is distinguished from a point swing, which is defined as the difference between the intraday high and the intraday low. Such records that turned negative are also recorded in a separate list. The opening price is used to calculate the point gain. The previous day close is used to calculate the net change.
RankDateOpenDay
high
Point
gain
Net
change
12022-10-1328,755.83 30,168.54 1,412.71+827.87
22020-03-1321,973.8223,189.761,215.94+1,985.00
32020-03-2621,468.3822,595.061,126.68+1,351.62
42020-03-0225,590.5126,706.171,115.66+1,293.96
52020-04-0621,693.6322,783.451,089.82+1,627.46
62018-12-2621,857.7322,878.921,021.19+1,086.25
72020-03-2419,722.1920,737.701,015.51+2,112.98
82020-03-2521,050.3422,019.93969.59+495.64
92008-10-138,462.429,427.99965.57+936.42
102008-10-288,178.729,082.08903.36+889.35
112020-03-1720,487.0521,379.35892.30+1,048.86
122018-02-0624,085.1724,946.23861.06+567.02
132020-03-1620,917.5321,768.28850.75−2,997.10
142020-03-0426,383.6827,102.34718.66+1,173.45
152020-03-3021,678.2222,378.09699.87+690.70
162020-04-0220,819.4621,477.77658.31+469.93
172018-04-0423,654.1524,308.96654.81+230.94
182020-03-1222,184.7122,837.95653.24−2,352.60
192015-08-2615,676.2616,303.75627.49+619.07
202019-01-0422,894.9223,518.64623.72+746.94
Largest intraday point dropsAn intraday point drop is defined as the difference between the opening price (which may or may not be the intraday high) and the intraday low. This is distinguished from a point swing, which is defined as the difference between the intraday high and the intraday low. Such records that turned positive are also recorded in a separate list. The opening price is used to calculate the point drop. The previous day close is used to calculate the net change.
RankDateOpenDay
low
Point
drop
Net
change
12018-02-0525,337.8723,923.881,413.99−1,175.21
22020-03-0924,992.3623,706.071,286.29−2,013.76
32020-03-1124,604.6323,328.321,276.31−1,464.94
42020-03-1820,188.6918,917.461,271.23−1,338.46
52020-06-1126,282.5125,082.721,199.79−1,861.82
62022-05-0533,854.1732,685.101,169.07−1,063.09
72020-03-2020,253.1519,094.271,158.88−913.21
82015-08-2416,459.7515,370.331,089.42−588.40
92022-05-1832,468.67 31,393.95 1,074.72−1164.52
102020-03-0326,762.4725,706.281,056.19−785.91
112018-02-0824,902.3023,849.231,053.07−1,032.89
122020-02-2528,037.6526,997.621,040.03−879.44
132020-03-1222,184.7121,154.461,030.25−2,352.60
142020-09-0329,090.7028,074.761,015.94−807.77
152010-05-0610,868.129,869.62998.50−347.80
162020-04-0723,537.4422,634.45902.99−26.13
172018-10-1026,441.7325,567.10874.63−831.83
182020-03-2319,028.3618,213.65814.71−582.05
192020-03-1620,917.5320,116.46801.07−2,997.10
202008-10-0610,322.529,525.32797.20−369.88

Largest intraday point changes with turnovers

Largest intraday point gains that turned negative

These are the largest intraday point gains that closed in negative territory at the end of the trading session. In order to be considered an intraday point gain, the intraday high must be above the previous day closing price, while the opening price is used to calculate intraday highs.

RankDateOpenDay
high
CloseHighest
points
12015-08-2515,882.2716,312.9415,666.44430.67
22008-10-149,388.979,794.379,310.99405.40
32018-02-0724,892.8725,293.9624,893.35400.13
42020-02-2627,159.4627,542.7826,957.59383.32
52018-12-2122,871.7423,254.5922,445.37382.85
62018-12-1923,693.3324,057.3423,323.66364.01
72008-10-108,568.678,901.288,451.19332.61
82020-03-0326,762.4727,084.5925,917.41322.12
92008-10-0310,483.9610,796.2610,325.38312.30
102008-10-178,975.359,281.128,852.22305.77
112008-10-299,062.339,363.328,990.96300.99
122019-08-0126,879.8627,175.5926,583.42295.73
132018-02-2124,988.0625,267.9924,797.78279.93
142020-03-2020,253.1520,531.2619,173.98278.11
152015-01-1317,645.0217,923.0117,613.68277.99
162020-03-3122,208.4222,480.3721,917.16271.95
171999-04-1910,493.8910,765.7410,440.53271.85
182018-06-2724,303.1124,569.0224,117.59265.91
192019-08-0725,814.2226,073.2126,007.07258.99
202014-12-1617,173.0717,427.4417,068.87254.37
Largest intraday point losses that turned positive

These are the largest intraday point losses that closed in positive territory at the end of the trading session. In order to be considered an intraday point loss, the intraday low must be below the previous day closing price, while the opening price is used to calculate intraday lows.

RankDateOpenDay
low
CloseLowest
points
12022-01-2434,070.6133,150.3334,364.50920.28
22020-03-1024,453.0023,690.3425,018.16762.66
32020-03-1919,830.0119,177.1320,087.19652.88
42018-02-0923,992.6723,360.2924,190.90632.38
52020-03-1720,487.0519,882.2621,237.38604.79
62020-06-1225,659.4225,078.4125,605.54581.01
72020-03-2521,050.3420,538.3421,200.55512.00
82018-12-1024,360.9523,881.3724,423.26479.58
92018-10-1225,407.6325,000.8325,339.99406.80
102008-10-168,577.048,197.678,979.26379.37
112018-12-2722,629.0622,267.4223,138.82361.64
121987-10-201,949.771,616.211,841.01333.56
132020-04-1623,543.6623,211.3823,537.68332.28
142008-01-2311,969.0811,644.8112,270.17324.27
152008-11-138,281.147,965.428,835.25315.72
162018-02-0624,085.1723,778.7424,912.77306.43
172018-05-0323,836.2323,531.3123,930.15304.92
182019-10-0326,039.0225,743.4626,201.04295.56
192019-05-1025,763.7225,469.8625,942.37293.86
202008-10-238,519.778,243.558,691.25276.22

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Historical Index Data All-Time Largest One Day Gains and Losses. wsj.com. March 14, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170219114148/http://online.wsj.com/mdc/public/page/2_3047-djia_alltime.html. February 19, 2017. live.
  2. http://www.djindexes.com/mdsidx/downloads/xlspages/high_low_lights.xls Highlights/Lowlights of The Dow
  3. News: Setting the Record Straight on the Dow Drop . October 26, 1987 . . February 17, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090204203011/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE0D71F3EF935A15753C1A961948260 . February 4, 2009 . live .
  4. News: The Day Stocks Rose but the Dow Plunged. The Wall Street Journal. October 1, 2008. Carl. Bialik. August 4, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20140408224751/http://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/the-day-stocks-rose-but-the-dow-plunged-423/. April 8, 2014. live.
  5. CSV data file from http://finance.yahoo.com
  6. DJIA_C.xls from same data
  7. Web site: Stocks are expected to see more wild swings, even if Fed makes big policy move. Patty. Domm. March 13, 2020. CNBC.
  8. Web site: DJIA 125 - Bests & Worsts . www.spglobal.com . May 13, 2022.
  9. Web site: Stock market live updates: Dow soars 2,100 points, biggest jump in 80 years, stimulus close. Imbert. Yun Li,Jesse Pound,Fred. March 24, 2020. CNBC. en. March 24, 2020.
  10. Web site: U.S. stocks score biggest one-day gain since 2008 after Trump declares state of emergency over coronavirus. William. Watts. Joy. Wiltermuth. MarketWatch. March 13, 2020. March 13, 2020.
  11. Web site: Stock market news live updates: Stocks rally to start the week, Dow jumps 1,627 points or 7.7% in best day in 9 sessions. Emily. McCormick. April 6, 2020. Yahoo. en. April 6, 2020.
  12. Web site: Dow rallies more than 1,300 points, capping its biggest 3-day surge since 1931. Fred. Imbert. Pippa. Stevens. Eustance. Huang . CNBC. March 26, 2020. March 27, 2020.
  13. Web site: Dow roars back from coronavirus sell-off with biggest gain since 2009, surges 5.1%. Fred. Imbert. Eustance. Huang . CNBC. March 2, 2020. March 2, 2020.
  14. Web site: Harring . Sarah Min,Alex . Dow pops 1,200 points, S&P 500 jumps 5% in biggest rally in two years after light inflation report . 2022-11-10 . CNBC . en.
  15. Web site: Dow soars 1,100 points to session high as Wall Street warms to surprise Fed rate cuts, Biden campaign momentum. March 4, 2020. Joy. Wiltermuth. Sunny. Oh. marketwatch.com. March 4, 2020.
  16. Web site: Dow rebounds 1,167 points after worst day since the financial crisis. March 10, 2020. USA Today. March 10, 2020.
  17. Web site: Dow soars over 1,000 points as stocks bounce back from Christmas Eve meltdown. December 26, 2018. William. Watts. Barbara. Kollmeyer. marketwatch.com. December 27, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181227201247/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stock-futures-lower-as-market-readies-to-reopen-after-christmas-eve-meltdown-2018-12-26. December 27, 2018. live.
  18. News: Imbert. Fred. Dow rebounds more than 1,000 points as Trump seeks $1 trillion in stimulus for coronavirus fight. March 17, 2020. CNBC. March 17, 2020.
  19. Web site: Dow Logs Biggest One-Day Point Gain Ever. October 13, 2008. CNBC. March 13, 2020.
  20. Web site: Subin . Jesse Pound,Samantha . 2022-05-03 . Dow rallies 900 points as investors bet the Fed can slow inflation without causing a recession . 2022-05-05 . CNBC . en.
  21. Web site: Dow rises more than 900 points, books its biggest daily advance in 6 weeks on coronavirus vaccine hope. Mark. DeCambre. Joy. Wiltermuth. MarketWatch. May 18, 2020. May 19, 2020.
  22. Web site: Stocks Jump 11% Amid Bargain-Hunting Spree. October 28, 2008. CNBC. March 10, 2020.
  23. Web site: Miao. Hannah. Li. Yun. February 25, 2022 . Dow climbs 800 points in its best day since late 2020 as investors weigh latest on Russia-Ukraine . . March 2, 2022.
  24. Web site: Thorbecke . Catherina . Dow Jones soars more than 800 points on vaccine hopes . ABC News . March 2, 2021 . November 9, 2020.
  25. Web site: DeCambre, Mark . Watts, William . Dow closes 800 points higher after jobs report shows surprise jump in payrolls, fall in unemployment rate . MarketWatch . March 2, 2021 . June 5, 2020.
  26. Web site: How major US stock indexes fared Friday 10/28/2022. October 28, 2022. washingtonpost.com. October 28, 2022.
  27. Web site: Valetkevitch, Caroline . Wall Street ends up 2% after sharp reversal; technicals help . October 13, 2022. reuters.com. October 21, 2022.
  28. Web site: Dow rallies more than 1,500 points in two days, S&P 500 posts best 2-day gain since 2020. October 4, 2022. cnbc. October 21, 2022.
  29. Web site: Dow drops nearly 3,000 points, as coronavirus collapse continues; worst day since '87. Fred. Imbert. CNBC. March 16, 2020. March 16, 2020. live. March 16, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200316205041/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/15/traders-await-futures-open-after-fed-cuts-rates-launches-easing-program.html.
  30. Web site: Stocks dive on Dow's worst day since 1987, tech crashes and Bitcoin is no haven. Kirsten. Korosec. Jonathan. Shieber. Alex. Wilhelm. March 12, 2020. techcrunch.com. live. March 16, 2020. https://archive.today/20200316205204/https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/12/stocks-dive-on-dows-worst-day-since-1987-tech-crashes-and-bitcoin-is-no-haven/.
  31. Web site: Dow sinks more than 2,000 points amid coronavirus uncertainty and plunging oil prices. March 9, 2020. ABC News. March 10, 2020.
  32. Web site: Stocks suffer their worst day since March, with the Dow plunging more than 1,800 points. June 11, 2020. CNBC. June 11, 2020.
  33. Web site: Dow drops 1,400 points and tumbles into a bear market, down 20% from last month's record close. March 11, 2020. CNBC. March 11, 2020.
  34. Web site: Dow drops 1,300 points, S&P 500 loses 5% as coronavirus market sell-off reaches new low. Li. Fred Imbert,Yun. March 17, 2020. CNBC. en. March 18, 2020.
  35. Web site: Stock market news today: Dow and S&P 500 updates . . September 13, 2022 .
  36. Web site: Dow Jones drops nearly 1,200 points, biggest point decline ever. February 27, 2020. krcrtv.com. February 27, 2020.
  37. Web site: Bad Day Turns Terrifying With the Dow's Dramatic Drop. Lu. Wang. Jeran. Wittenstein. February 5, 2018. Bloomberg News. February 5, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180206131625/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-05/bad-day-turns-terrifying-as-dow-suffers-worst-point-plunge-ever. February 6, 2018. live.
  38. Web site: Pound . Sarah Min,Jesse . Dow drops 1,100 points for its biggest decline since 2020 as the sell-off this year on Wall Street intensifies . . May 18, 2022 .
  39. Web site: Dow tumbles 1,000 points for the worst day since 2020, Nasdaq drops 5%. Jesse. Pound. Tanaya. Macheel. May 4, 2022. CNBC. May 5, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220505192250/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/04/stock-market-futures-open-to-close-news.html. May 5, 2022. live.
  40. News: Smith . Talmon Joseph . 2024-08-05 . Live Updates: Global Markets Jolted by Signs of U.S. Economy Slowing . 2024-08-05 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  41. Web site: Dow plunges 1,000 points as market swoons again. February 9, 2018. CBC News. February 8, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180208234644/http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/stocks-markets-dollar-1.4526399. February 8, 2018. live.
  42. Web site: Dow plunges 1,000 points on coronavirus fears, 3.5% drop is worst in two years. February 23, 2020. Fred. Imbert. Eustance. Huang. cnbc.com.
  43. Web site: Macheel . Sarah Min,Tanaya . Powell comments fuel 1,000-point market rout Friday as stocks slide for a second week . CNBC . August 26, 2022.
  44. Web site: 2022-04-22 . Wall Street posted steep losses as investors brace for rate increases . 2022-04-22 . Proactiveinvestors NA . en.
  45. Web site: The Dow and S&P 500 just logged the worst start to a quarter in history as investors brace for 'very, very painful' weeks of coronavirus. Marketwatch. April 1, 2020. April 1, 2020.
  46. Web site: Dow tanks more than 950 points as Wall Street's roller-coaster week continues. March 5, 2020. cnbc.com. March 10, 2020.
  47. Web site: Dow sinks more than 900 points for its worst drop since June amid rising virus cases globally. October 28, 2020. cnbc.com. Fred. Imbert.
  48. Web site: Macheel . Hannah Miao,Tanaya . 2022-04-28 . Dow tumbles more than 900 points and the Nasdaq drops 4% on Friday to close out a brutal month . 2022-04-30 . CNBC . en.
  49. Web site: Dow Takes a Harrowing 1,010.14-Point Trip. Tom. Lauricella. Peter A.. McKay. May 7, 2010. February 6, 2018. wsj.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20100509100118/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704370704575227754131412596.html. May 9, 2010. live.
  50. Web site: Historical Index Data Largest Intraday Point Swings, Since 1987. wsj.com. March 14, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170219110629/http://online.wsj.com/mdc/public/page/2_3047-djia_intraday.html. February 19, 2017. live.