Coronavirus Bear Market: 5 Large-Cap Stocks to Buy

For investors, the past seven weeks have been historic. The spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has killed in excess of 65,000 people worldwide, has created levels of uncertainty in the marketplace that we've never witnessed before. The CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX, which measures the expected volatility in S&P 500 options contracts over the next 30 days, hit an all-time high, eclipsing the perceived volatility and fear from the Great Recession.

While tragically exacting a human toll, COVID-19 has also been unrelenting on Wall Street's pocketbooks. The mitigation measures meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which includes a halt to nonessential business activity in most U.S. states, may lead to a recession. It's most certainly led to a bear market, with the major U.S. indexes shedding more than 20% of their value in just over three weeks, marking the fastest descent from a recent high in history.

Yet history shows that bear markets are always buying opportunities. As long as investors buy into quality businesses and give their investment theses time to play out, they tend to make money over the long run.

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Source Fool.com