The Stock Market Has Turned Nasty. It Was Long Overdue.

Until this month, the scariest thing about the stock market was its uncanny calm and stability. Like the opening sequences of a classic horror movie, the market last year was relentlessly and unnaturally cheerful. Well, now the ax has fallen and the stock market has begun a “correction” — financial jargon for …

Even with last week’s selloff, the market is no worse off than it was three months ago: up 40 percent over two years and almost four times its level at the bottom of the financial crisis. While last week’s sights and sounds shook bulls who before then hadn’t endured a 3 percent drop in the S&P 500 in more than …

The S&P 500 tumbled 5.2 percent in the week, its steepest slide since January 2016, jolting equity markets from an unprecedented stretch of calm. At one point, stocks fell 12 percent from the latest highs, before a furious rally Friday left the equity benchmark 1.5 percent higher on the day. Still, the selloff has …

Chinese mainland markets are closed Feb. 15-21. South African President Jacob Zuma’s fate is set to be sealed on Monday when the top leadership of the ruling African National Congress meets to conclude the transition to a new administration. The U.S. consumer-price index, due Wednesday, probably …

Markets are struggling to find a new equilibrium after plummeting shares and soaring volatility drove billions of dollars out of global stock markets. Sparked by signs of increasing inflation, the Dow Jones Industrial Average last week fell more than 5%, extending a fortnight-long selloff totaling 2,400 points.

The VIX’s bond-market cousin reached its highest since April. A measure of currency volatility spiked to levels last seen almost a year ago, with a plunge in the yuan and a rise in the pound adding to turbulence. European equities weren’t spared, with the Euro Stoxx 50 volatility gauge spiking toward the …

Thomas Forester has been here before: he shot to fame after his mutual fund turned a profit through the 2008 meltdown. Now, a decade later, he’s buying options—puts— to hedge against the risk that the stock market will tank again today. But even Forester is shocked by what comes next. “This week feels …

Bitcoin’s supporters are quick to extol the cryptocurrency’ virtues as an asset that’s uncorrelated to the broader market — independent from any single country, company or central bank — which can serve as a haven in times of market turmoil. And while that turmoil can usually be found in Bitcoin prices and …