Black Tuesday was the 1929 crash day when the New York Stock Exchange recorded its largest trading volume up to that time.
The name refers to October 29, 1929, when approximately 16 million shares changed hands. Heavy selling overwhelmed the market after severe losses on Black Thursday, October 24, and Black Monday, October 28. Prices continued to fall as investors rushed to exit positions.
The labels Black Thursday, Black Monday, and Black Tuesday describe different stages of the same late-October market crisis. They are not separate crashes. Black Tuesday became the most memorable label because it represented the culmination of that week’s panic and helped define the public memory of the Wall Street Crash.
The market collapse was closely associated with the Great Depression, although historians describe the relationship as complex. Speculation, margin buying, weak economic conditions, bank failures, and declining production all contributed to the broader crisis. The Dow later lost most of its value before reaching a low in 1932.