Wall Street sign

The stock market clawed back from a midday drop Friday after coming to the edge of its first bear market since the beginning of the pandemic.

The S&P 500 ended 18.6% below the record high it set in early January.

A 20% decline would have been considered the beginning of a bear market.

The benchmark index, the heart of many retirement accounts, came back from a loss of 2.3% to end just barely in the green.

Rising interest rates, high inflation, the war in Ukraine, and a slowdown in China’s economy have been worrying investors.

The Dow erased a 600-point drop.

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