Which 1970s stock-market crash followed the 1973 oil crisis and helped end the postwar bull market?

The crash that followed the 1973 oil crisis and helped end the postwar bull market was the 1973–1974 stock market crash.

The decline unfolded from January 1973 through December 1974. It occurred during a difficult combination of high inflation, weak economic growth, political uncertainty, and the oil shock that followed the Yom Kippur War. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by about 45% from its January 1973 peak to its December 1974 low.

The crash affected markets beyond the United States, making it an important international episode rather than merely a Wall Street correction. The period is often associated with stagflation, a condition in which inflation remains high while economic activity is weak. Energy costs and monetary policy intensified pressure on companies and consumers.

A common mistake is to date the entire episode only from the oil embargo. The market had already begun falling before the embargo was announced in October 1973. The crash also differed from the 1970 recession decline: it was longer and occurred within a broader global economic upheaval.