The sharp Shanghai-led global market sell-off on August 24, 2015, was widely called Black Monday.
Chinese stocks had already fallen substantially during the summer of 2015 after an earlier speculative surge. On August 24, selling intensified in China and spread to markets around the world. The Shanghai Composite Index closed down 8.49 percent, while major international equity indexes also suffered steep losses.
The episode reflected concerns about China’s economic growth, the stability of its stock market, and the effects of changing currency policy. Falling commodity prices and broader worries about global demand added to the pressure. The term “Black Monday” linked the event to other historically severe Monday sell-offs, although it was not the same event as the 1987 crash.
The 2015 episode is also called China’s Black Monday in many accounts. It should not be confused with the 2010 Flash Crash, which was a rapid intraday U.S. market event.