Which 1989 crash caused the Dow Jones Industrial Average to fall 190.58 points in one session?

The 1989 crash that caused the Dow Jones Industrial Average to fall 190.58 points in one session was the Friday the 13th mini-crash. It occurred on Friday, 13 October 1989, and the Dow fell about 6.91%.

The episode was linked to uncertainty surrounding the proposed leveraged buyout of United Airlines’ parent company. Investors worried about the financing and about the wider use of highly leveraged transactions. When the deal appeared likely to fail, selling spread through the market.

The decline was severe but brief compared with the prolonged 1929–32 bear market or the multi-month global turmoil of 2008. Its nickname reflects the calendar date rather than a formal technical classification. The event is also called the Friday the 13th mini-crash, distinguishing it from Black Monday, the 1987 crash, and the 2010 Flash Crash. The Dow’s point loss is especially useful historically because the index had risen substantially by 1989, making percentage comparisons more informative than raw points alone.