What name is given to the 1987 global market fall that began on 19 October?
Answer
Black Monday
Answer
Black Monday
The 1987 global market fall that began on 19 October is known as Black Monday.
The name refers to the day when share prices collapsed across major financial centres. In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 22.6 percent, while other markets recorded exceptionally large losses around the same period. The scale of the decline made it one of the most memorable dates in modern financial history.
Several pressures preceded the fall, including high valuations, rising interest-rate concerns, trade disputes, and uncertainty about the dollar. Automated trading and portfolio-insurance systems amplified the speed of selling, though no single explanation accounts for every market movement.
The nickname can cause confusion because “Black Monday” has also been used for other market crashes, including 1929 and 2020. In this question, it specifically identifies the worldwide crash of 19 October 1987.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026