Which 1987 market crash is remembered by the name “Black Monday”?

The 1987 market crash is remembered as Black Monday.

On October 19, 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, a fall of 22.6 percent in a single session. That percentage decline remains the largest one-day percentage drop in the Dow’s history. Stock markets in several other countries also suffered severe losses, making the event global rather than purely American.

Analysts have linked the crash to high valuations, rising interest rates, currency tensions, and computerized trading strategies, including portfolio insurance. No single explanation accounts for every movement, but automated selling helped intensify the decline once prices began falling.

Black Monday is sometimes confused with other market days using the same nickname, including October 28, 1929, and October 19, 1987. The 1987 crash also differed from 1929 because the economy did not enter a depression afterward, and markets eventually recovered.