For the fourth time in just over a week, losses by the Dow Jones Industrial Average triggered a circuit-breaker.
The Dow had dropped 7 percent by early afternoon Wednesday, and trading was halted for 15 minutes.
At the time of the trading halt, the Dow had fallen below where it had been when President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January 2017.
The drop came after futures fell sharply overnight, signaling a tough day ahead for markets.
By the end of the day, the Dow leveled off, closing down 6.3% for the day, losing 1,333 points from yesterday's totals. The Dow closed below, 20,000 points for the first time in more than three years.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen 28 percent since hitting its all-time high in February.
On Tuesday, the Dow recovered slightly from historic losses on Monday on the back of President Donald Trump's talk of a stimulus plan. Trump and administration officials said they are considering sending Americans cash directly within a matter of weeks in an attempt to boost the economy amid quarantines caused by the coronavirus pandemic.