The massive sell-off could trigger key market circuit breakers during regular trading hours. If the S&P 500 drops 7%, trading will pause for 15 minutes. The SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF (SPY), the exchanged-traded fund tracking the S&P 500, pointed to a 7.2% decline at the open.
While Monday’s drop is poised to be significant, it still wouldn’t crack the 20 worst days in the S&P 500.
Investors continued to seek safer assets amid additional fears that the coronavirus will disrupt global supply chains and tip the economy into a recession. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note dropped below 0.5% for the first time ever, while the 30-year rate breached 1%.
Saudi Arabia on Saturday slashed official crude selling prices for April, in a sudden U-turn from previous attempts to support the oil market as the coronavirus hammers global demand. The move came after OPEC talks collapsed Friday, prompting some strategists to see oil prices crater to $20 this year.
