During the 1929 Wall Street Crash, the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s highest closing level before its prolonged decline was 381.17 points.
The Dow reached that closing peak on September 3, 1929, after a long rise during the speculative boom of the 1920s. The market then became increasingly unstable. October brought several dramatic sessions, including Black Thursday on October 24, Black Monday on October 28, and Black Tuesday on October 29.
The 381.17 figure is a closing level, not the highest price reached during every moment of trading. That distinction matters because financial records commonly separate intraday highs from closing highs. After the 1929 peak, the Dow eventually fell to 41.22 points in July 1932, a decline of almost 89% from its peak.
The crash did not by itself cause every hardship of the Great Depression, but it severely damaged confidence and exposed weaknesses in banks, businesses, and highly leveraged investment. The Dow did not regain its 1929 closing peak until 1954, more than two decades later.