Wall Street's staggering skid that began less than three weeks ago has pulled the Dow Jones Industrial Average into what's known as a bear market.
After a string of sharp losses, the Dow has now fallen more than 20% from recent high last month.
The S&P 500, the index most investors pay attention to, moved within striking distance of its own bear market Wednesday, as did the Nasdaq.
Both indexes are in a correction, down at least 10% from their most recent all-time highs.
The biggest factor in the market's decline has been the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.