China’s dramatic stock-market sell-off on August 24, 2015, was widely called Black Monday.
The Shanghai Composite Index fell 8.49% on August 24, its largest one-day percentage decline since 2007. The sell-off followed weeks of turbulence after Chinese share prices had surged and then fallen sharply from their June 2015 peak.
Investors worried about slowing Chinese economic growth, weakening industrial data, currency policy, and the sustainability of earlier share-price gains. Declines spread to markets worldwide, contributing to a global risk-off episode and large falls in major indexes.
This Black Monday is distinct from the famous October 19, 1987, crash in the United States. The shared nickname describes a severe market decline, not one unique event. China’s government introduced or expanded several measures during the turmoil, including restrictions and support efforts aimed at stabilizing trading.