The 1962 U.S. stock-market sell-off associated with President Kennedy was called the Kennedy Slide.
The Kennedy Slide lasted from December 1961 through June 1962. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 26.5% from its high to its low, making the episode one of the most severe U.S. market declines since the 1930s.
The nickname links the episode to John F. Kennedy’s presidency, but it does not mean Kennedy personally caused the entire decline. Investors worried about slowing growth, corporate profits, inflation, and the international economic environment. The administration also confronted a steel-price dispute with major producers in 1962.
The market stabilized after reaching its June low. The event is sometimes confused with the 1963 assassination-related market reaction, which was a separate episode. The Kennedy Slide refers specifically to the broad decline ending in 1962.