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2020 has been a rollercoaster ride for markets, with plenty of crashes, rallies, insolvencies, and stimulus packages. Here are the 15 top market moments so far.

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  • At the start of 2020, the killing of Qassam Soleimani, and the Iranian-US tensions that followed, was the biggest story in town for markets. 
  • But COVID-19 soon began to spread across the world, causing markets to tank. It's been a rollercoaster ride ever since.
  • From oil prices turning negative in April to famed investor Warren Buffett selling his airline stocks in May, here are the top 15 market events of 2020 so far. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

In early 2020, the big story for markets was the new low in US-Iran relations following the killing of Iranian general Qassam Soleimani.

In the aftermath, the US slapped fresh sanctions on the Gulf nation, the Iranian armed forces shot down a Ukranian airline plane in error and investors worried about what might happen next.

Little did they know what the following few months had in store. 

Coronavirus sparked a chain reaction in global financial markets, and has become the dominant market force ever since. Stock markets hit a low on 23 March as major economies entered lockdown. Investors remain hyper-sensitive to any COVID-19 news, both positive and negative, including the progress on vaccines and an easing of lockdowns.

COVID-19 has, without question, been the biggest markets story of 2020.

But it's not been the only one. 

Business Insider has rounded the top 15 market moments of the year so far. Here they are:

The US ordered the killing of Iranian major general Qassem Soleimani on January 3, and US-Iranian relations hit a new low. The US imposed fresh economic sanctions.

Trump Iran
Amarjeet Kumar Singh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam resigned on February 7 after an executive-level spying scandal engulfed the bank.

FILE PHOTO: Swiss bank Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam waits for a news conference after the Swiss Global Digital Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, September 2, 2019. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
Reuters

Saudi Arabia kicked off an oil price war with Russia on March 8 in order to penalise Moscow for not agreeing to reduce oil prices during the early stages of the coronavirus slump.

FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud and Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak are seen at the beginning of an OPEC and NON-OPEC meeting in Vienna, Austria December 6, 2019. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo
Reuters

Markets tanked on 23 March as investors finally woke up to the economic impact coronavirus could have. The S&P 500 touched a low of 2237.40.

Stock Market
Reuters

Trump signed the $2 trillion coronavirus economic relief bill into law on March 27, which included checks for Americans and business loans.

Donald Trump factory mask
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

US oil prices turned negative for the first time in history on 20 April.

FILE PHOTO: Crude oil storage tanks are seen in an aerial photograph at the Cushing oil hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, U.S. April 21, 2020. REUTERS/Drone Base/File Photo
Reuters

Famed investor Warren Buffett revealed on May 3 during Berkshire Hathaway's annual general meeting that he has sold his stocks in the big four US airlines, causing jitters in markets.

Warren Buffett
James Leynse/Corbis/Getty Images

Car rental company Hertz filed for company protection on May 22. It had nearly $19 billion of outstanding debt.

FILE PHOTO: The desk of car rental company Hertz is seen at Nice International airport during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Nice, France, May 27, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
Reuters

Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, became the poster child of day-trading in May. Even young children turned to the stock market to make some quick money.

dave portnoy barstool
Getty Images / Cliff Hawkins

Drug-maker Gilead Sciences' stocks rocketed in May after it announced progress in trials for its antiviral drug Remdesivir.

Remdesivir2 by Getty Images
Ulrich Perrey/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

China imposed a draconian national security law on Hong Kong on May 28. It threatened Hong Kong's future status as a financial hub and the city's close relationship with the US.

hong kong china
Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

On June 4, the European Central Bank announced $676 billion of new stimulus in June to fight the coronavirus, bringing its total coronavirus package to $1.52 trillion.

FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde attends an Eurozone Finance Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, February 17, 2020. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/File Photo
Reuters

Wirecard's chief executive Markus Braun resigned on June 19 after a $2 billion hole was discovered in its balance sheet. The company said "the money likely never existed." He was arrested days later.

markus braun wirecard
picture alliance/Getty Images

The Federal Reserve suspends share buybacks and limits dividends for big banks after stress test results on June 25.

FILE PHOTO: Federal Reserve Board building on Constitution Avenue is pictured in Washington, U.S., March 19, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Reuters

The Federal Reserve spent $428 million buying debt in individual companies in the first wave of its corporate bond-buying programme, the central bank announced on June 29.

Federal Reserve
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

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