The 1962 U.S. stock-market decline was nicknamed the Kennedy Slide.
The sell-off ran from December 1961 into June 1962 and was associated with concerns about slowing economic growth, corporate earnings, inflation, and international tensions. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 27% from its peak to its low, making the episode one of the sharpest postwar U.S. declines at that time.
The name refers to President John F. Kennedy, who was in office during the decline. The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred later, in October 1962, so it was not the event that caused the slide itself, although Cold War tensions formed part of the broader background.
The crash is also called the Flash Crash of 1962 in some accounts. It is distinct from the 1987 Black Monday crash and from later intraday events described as flash crashes.