Which 1962 U.S. stock-market slump is commonly nicknamed the Kennedy Slide?

The 1962 U.S. stock-market slump is commonly nicknamed the Kennedy Slide.

The decline ran from December 1961 into June 1962 and was especially severe in May and June. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 26% from its December high to its June low. The nickname reflects the presidency of John F. Kennedy, although the episode was driven by broader economic and market forces rather than by one presidential decision.

Investors were concerned about slower economic growth, corporate profit expectations, inflation, and the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. The slump also followed a period of strong equity gains, leaving valuations vulnerable when confidence weakened.

The Kennedy Slide is sometimes confused with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which occurred later in October. It also differs from the 1969–70 bear market. The 1962 decline was a major postwar correction, but it did not become a prolonged depression or a banking-system collapse.