The 1962 U.S. stock-market decline linked to Cold War tensions and economic worries was called the Kennedy Slide.
The decline ran from late 1961 into June 1962, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling about 26.5% from its high. Investors worried about slowing economic growth, corporate earnings, inflation, and international tensions during the Cold War.
The name refers to President John F. Kennedy, although the market’s movement had many causes and was not simply a presidential event. A major episode within the decline was the Cuban Missile Crisis later in 1962, but the main market slide had already reached its low in June.
The Kennedy Slide is often remembered because it occurred after the prosperous 1950s and before the major political and economic upheavals of the late 1960s. It demonstrates that a market crash can arise from several interacting concerns rather than one isolated announcement or disaster.