What name is given to the 1962 U.S. stock-market plunge associated with fears over rising interest rates?

The 1962 U.S. stock-market plunge was called the Kennedy Slide of 1962.

The decline occurred during a sharp correction in American equities after a long advance. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell from its December 1961 high, and selling became especially intense in May and June 1962. Concerns included tighter monetary conditions, slowing corporate earnings, and uncertainty about the economy.

On May 28, 1962, the Dow dropped 34.95 points, or about 5.7 percent, in what was then its largest one-day point decline. The following day brought another major fall, and the market eventually reached a low on June 26.

The episode received its name because it happened during John F. Kennedy’s presidency, not because Kennedy directly caused the sell-off. The crash is also sometimes called the “Flash Crash of 1962,” although that label should not be confused with the electronically driven Flash Crash of 2010.