What name is given to the worldwide stock-market collapse that began in 1973 and continued into 1974?

The worldwide stock-market collapse that began in 1973 and continued into 1974 is called the 1973–1974 stock market crash.

The crash followed a long period of rising share prices and occurred amid severe economic and geopolitical pressures. The 1973 oil crisis, caused by an OPEC oil embargo and related production restrictions, sent energy prices sharply higher. Inflation, slowing economic growth, and rising interest rates added to the pressure on equity markets.

In the United States, the bear market was especially severe. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell from its January 1973 high to its December 1974 low, while markets in Britain and other countries also suffered major losses. The episode contributed to the era later known as stagflation, when economies experienced weak growth alongside high inflation.

The crash is sometimes confused with the oil crisis itself. The oil shock was a major trigger and background event, but the stock-market crash describes the broad fall in equity prices across 1973 and 1974.