The 1792 U.S. financial panic was the Panic of 1792, which Alexander Hamilton helped contain through Treasury-backed securities purchases.
The panic developed after rapid speculation in securities linked to the new U.S. government and the Bank of the United States. Falling prices and credit pressure spread through financial markets in March and April 1792.
As Treasury secretary, Hamilton instructed the federal government to buy securities and encouraged banks to provide liquidity. These actions helped stabilize prices and are often described as an early example of a central-bank-style rescue, even though the Federal Reserve did not yet exist.
The episode also exposed the fragility of the young republic's financial system. It is distinct from the later Panic of 1819 and Panic of 1837, which involved different economic conditions and institutions. The 1792 crisis helped shape early debates over federal financial power.