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Markets

The Nasdaq Composite Is Officially in Correction Territory: 3 Things You Need to Know

March 26, 2026 — 08:34 pm EDT

Written by

Sean Williams for

The Motley Fool->

Key Points

- The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite often take the stairs up and the elevator down.

- Although stock market corrections can tug on investors' heartstrings, downturns are historically short-lived.

- Bargains abound if you have a lengthy investment horizon.

- 10 stocks we like better than NASDAQ Composite Index ›

Since the start of 2019, record-closing highs for Wall Street's major indexes have become almost commonplace. With the exception of the five-week COVID-19 crash in February-March 2020 and the nine-month bear market in 2022, the bulls have ruled the roost. But this dynamic may be coming to an end.

As of the closing bell on March 26, the tech-driven Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) is officially in correction territory (down 10.7% from its all-time closing high). The iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) and benchmark S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) are on its heels, with respective pullbacks of 8.4% and 7.1% from their record-closing highs.

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With volatility picking up on Wall Street, here are three things you should know about the Nasdaq Composite's correction.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. It'll likely get worse before it gets better

One of the toughest realizations for investors (especially newer investors) is that Wall Street's major stock indexes often take the stairs up and the elevator down. In other words, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite rise steadily over long periods, but when things go wrong, emotions can push equities off the proverbial cliff in short order.

The dynamic for the Nasdaq to fall at a faster pace than it rose is arguably in place. While this isn't an encompassing list, some of the biggest headwinds for Wall Street include:

- Historically pricey valuations, based on the Shiller Price-to-Earnings Ratio

- A significant projected jump in inflation caused by the Iran war

- Ongoing tariff and trade policy uncertainty

- The potential for an artificial intelligence bubble to form and burst

- Historic division within the Federal Open Market Committee

Chances are that things will get worse for the Nasdaq Composite before they get better.

2. Stock market corrections are relatively short-lived

On the other hand, history is quite clear that stock market corrections, bear markets, and crashes are generally short-lived.

Recently, analysts at Bespoke Investment Group published a data set on X (formerly Twitter) that examined the length of every S&P 500 bull and bear market since the start of the Great Depression (September 1929).

Though the S&P 500 is constructed a bit differently from the Nasdaq, they're both market-cap-weighted indexes that have behaved similarly over the long term.

The current bull market -- the "AI Bull" -- has eclipsed the 1,200-day mark. This is the 10th bull market to last 1,000+ days based on the 20% rally/decline threshold.

Bear markets, on average, are much shorter, at just 286 days, with the longest being 630 days back in... pic.twitter.com/ds7lqWWHFh

-- Bespoke (@bespokeinvest) February 10, 2026

Bespoke's data set found that the average S&P 500 bear market resolved in 286 calendar days (about 9.5 months), and no 20% or greater downturn lasted more than 630 calendar days. In comparison, the average S&P 500 bull market has persisted for 1,011 calendar days over 96 years. Statistically, optimists have thrived over long periods.

3. Bargains abound if you have a lengthy investment horizon

Lastly, stock market corrections always represent an opportunity for long-term-minded investors to pounce.

Including dividends, the S&P 500 has never generated a negative 20-year total return since its inception. Meanwhile, 94% of rolling 10-year timelines have been profitable. As long as you have a reasonably long investment horizon (think five or more years), your chances of snagging a bargain during a stock market correction go way up, regardless of whether the correction ends quickly or turns into a bear market.

Opportunistic long-term investors can start their research in the tech software space or perhaps the financial sector if they're looking for bargains amid a historically pricey stock market.

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