Which 1987 global stock-market crash began with Black Monday on October 19?

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The 1987 global stock-market crash began with Black Monday on October 19, 1987.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 22.6% in one trading session, its largest single-day percentage decline. Major markets in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere also recorded severe losses, making the event global rather than solely American.

Several factors contributed, including high valuations, rising interest rates, trade tensions, and program trading. Portfolio insurance strategies automatically sold futures as prices fell, adding to the downward pressure. The precise cause remains a subject of financial-history debate.

Black Monday is often confused with Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, a major day during the Wall Street Crash. The 1987 event did not produce an economic depression comparable to the 1930s, and markets eventually recovered. Afterward, exchanges introduced circuit breakers designed to pause trading during exceptionally rapid declines.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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