The 19 October 1987 global stock-market crash became known as Black Monday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 508 points, or 22.6 percent, on that day—the largest one-day percentage decline in its history. Major markets in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere also suffered severe losses, making the event international rather than solely American.
Several factors contributed, including high share valuations, rising interest rates, trade tensions, and computerized portfolio-insurance selling. Once prices began falling, automated and program-based orders intensified the downward movement.
Black Monday is sometimes confused with other market days carrying “Black” names, especially Black Tuesday in 1929 and Black Thursday in 1929. Unlike the 1929 crash, the 1987 collapse did not lead to a decade-long economic depression, and markets eventually recovered.