The S&P 500, one of the broadest stock market indexes, entered a bear market during Friday's trading. That means it had fallen a stunning 20% from a recent high in January.
Stocks slumped after Russia invaded Ukraine. The tech-heavy Nasdaq momentarily entered what is known as a bear market — when an index drops by 20% or more from its recent record high.
Analysts like to say that the stock market is not the economy. But a bear market reflects concerns and anxieties about the economy, and at times a bear market is accompanied by a recession.
While experts focus on trying to explain the stock market's jumps and dives, we spend a little time cutting through the bull to get some different answers.