CorganoGold Price
Free widgets Market closed
Gold3,876.73−3.57%Silver49.12−5.79%Platinum1,434.05−3.60%Palladium979.73−2.55%
Gold/Silver78.93
DXY101.96+0.08%
US10Y4.93%−1.20%
WTI104.12+2.08%
S&P 5007,580−1.82%
Dow51,770−1.09%
Bitcoin77,726+0.37%
VIX19.42+12.91%

S&P 500 in 2020

The S&P 500 rose 16.3% in 2020, from 3,230.78 at the end of 2019 to 3,756.07. Its highest close was 3,756.07 on Dec 31 — a record that stood until January 7, 2021, and its lowest 2,237.40 on Mar 23. The biggest one-day fall was −12.0% on Mar 16 and the biggest rise +9.4% on Mar 24. Adjusted for inflation, it gained 14.7%.

Change in 2020
+16.3%
3,230.78 → 3,756.07
High
3,756.07
Dec 31
Low
2,237.40
Mar 23
After inflation
+14.7%
US CPI
Up days
145 of 253
longest run 7 up, 7 down
Record highs
33
closing records

S&P 500, daily closes 2020

Numbers mark the events below
2,3802,9973,613previous recordJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec1Jan 2: S&P 500 sets the first of 33 record closing highs this year, at 3,257.85.2Mar 9: Dow falls 2,013.76 points (7.8%) after Saudi Arabia cuts oil prices following the collapse of OPEC+ talks.3Mar 11: World Health Organization declares COVID-19 a pandemic.4Mar 12: Enters a bear market: 20% below its peak of 3,386.15 (February 19, 2020).5Mar 16: Dow falls 2,997.10 points (12.9%), its largest one-day point drop on record; the VIX closes at a record 82.69.6Mar 23: Bear market low: 2,237.40, 33.9% below the peak.7Mar 24: Biggest one-day rise of the year: +9.4%.8Mar 27: President Trump signs the $2.2 trillion CARES Act economic relief bill.9Aug 18: Back above its pre-bear-market peak of 3,386.15 (February 19, 2020).10Nov 9: Pfizer and BioNTech report their COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective; US stock indexes hit record highs.11Dec 31: Last record close of the year: 3,756.07.

Key Events in 2020

What happened, and how the S&P 500 moved — on the day (or the next trading day) and about a month later.

  1. 1
    Thursday, January 2 From the data
    S&P 500 sets the first of 33 record closing highs this year, at 3,257.85.
  2. 2
    Monday, March 9
    Dow falls 2,013.76 points (7.8%) after Saudi Arabia cuts oil prices following the collapse of OPEC+ talks. Source
    S&P 500: −7.6% that day · −10.4% a month later
  3. 3
    Wednesday, March 11
    World Health Organization declares COVID-19 a pandemic. Source
    S&P 500: −4.9% that day · −4.6% a month later
  4. 4
    Thursday, March 12 From the data
    Enters a bear market: 20% below its peak of 3,386.15 (February 19, 2020).
  5. 5
    Monday, March 16
    Dow falls 2,997.10 points (12.9%), its largest one-day point drop on record; the VIX closes at a record 82.69. Source
    S&P 500: −12.0% that day · +5.0% a month later
  6. 6
    Monday, March 23 From the data
    Bear market low: 2,237.40, 33.9% below the peak.
  7. 7
    Tuesday, March 24 From the data
    Biggest one-day rise of the year: +9.4%.
  8. 8
    Friday, March 27
    President Trump signs the $2.2 trillion CARES Act economic relief bill. Source
    S&P 500: −3.4% that day · +9.4% a month later
  9. 9
    Tuesday, August 18 From the data
    Back above its pre-bear-market peak of 3,386.15 (February 19, 2020).
  10. 10
    Monday, November 9
    Pfizer and BioNTech report their COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective; US stock indexes hit record highs. Source
    S&P 500: +1.2% that day · +5.5% a month later
  11. 11
    Thursday, December 31 From the data
    Last record close of the year: 3,756.07.

Biggest days of 2020

Best daysWorst days
Mar 24+9.4%Mar 16−12.0%
Mar 13+9.3%Mar 12−9.5%
Apr 6+7.0%Mar 9−7.6%
Mar 26+6.2%Jun 11−5.9%
Mar 17+6.0%Mar 18−5.2%

Volatility: 34.4% (annualised standard deviation of daily changes).

Month by month

MonthCloseChangeHighLow
Jan3,225.52−0.2%3,329.623,225.52
Feb2,954.22−8.4%3,386.152,954.22
Mar2,584.59−12.5%3,130.122,237.40
Apr2,912.43+12.7%2,939.512,470.50
May3,044.31+4.5%3,044.312,820.00
Jun3,100.29+1.8%3,232.393,002.10
Jul3,271.12+5.5%3,276.023,115.86
Aug3,500.31+7.0%3,508.013,294.61
Sep3,363.00−3.9%3,580.843,236.92
Oct3,269.96−2.8%3,534.223,269.96
Nov3,621.63+10.8%3,638.353,310.24
Dec3,756.07+3.7%3,756.073,647.49

Other Markets in 2020

Change over the calendar year.

MarketChangeYear-end
S&P 500+16.3%3,756.07
Dow Jones Industrial Average in 2020+7.2%30,606.48
Nasdaq Composite in 2020+43.6%12,888.28
Russell 2000 in 2020+18.4%1,974.86
Nikkei 225 in 2020+16.0%27,444.17
Gold in 2020+24.7%$1,895.10
Silver in 2020+47.7%$26.33
WTI crude oil in 2020−20.5%$48.52
Brent crude oil in 2020−21.5%$51.80
US 10-year Treasury yield in 2020−1.00 pp0.92%
2020202120222023202420252026

S&P 500 in 2020: FAQ

How much did the S&P 500 rise in 2020?

The S&P 500 rose 16.3% in 2020, from 3,230.78 at the end of 2019 to 3,756.07. Its highest close was 3,756.07 on Dec 31 — a record that stood until January 7, 2021, and its lowest 2,237.40 on Mar 23. The biggest one-day fall was −12.0% on Mar 16 and the biggest rise +9.4% on Mar 24. Adjusted for inflation, it gained 14.7%.

What were the highest and lowest closes of the S&P 500 in 2020?

Highest: 3,756.07 on December 31, 2020. Lowest: 2,237.40 on March 23, 2020. It closed higher on 145 of 253 trading days.

What happened to the S&P 500 on March 16, 2020?

Dow falls 2,997.10 points (12.9%), its largest one-day point drop on record; the VIX closes at a record 82.69. The S&P 500 fell 12.0% that day, and was +5.0% a month later.

Did the S&P 500 reach a record high in 2020?

Yes — 33 record closing highs, the last at 3,756.07 on December 31, 2020.

Data: Daily closes since 1950 (price index, excluding dividends). Price index: dividends are not included. Inflation: US CPI-U. Events marked "From the data" are found automatically from the closing prices; the others are researched, with the source linked. Not investment advice.

Cite this page

For essays, articles and research. Prices on this page update daily, so the citations include today's date as the date you accessed it.

APA 7
Corgano. (2026, November 1). S&P 500 in 2020. Corgano Gold Price. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/2020
MLA 9
“S&P 500 in 2020.” Corgano Gold Price, goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/2020. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.
Chicago
Corgano. “S&P 500 in 2020.” Corgano Gold Price. Accessed November 1, 2026. https://goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/2020.
BibTeX
@misc{corgano2026sp500in2020, author = {{Corgano}}, title = {S&P 500 in 2020}, howpublished = {\url{https://goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/2020}}, year = {2026}, note = {Corgano Gold Price, accessed 2026-11-01}}
Link
S&P 500 in 2020 — Corgano Gold Price: https://goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/2020