Which date marked the first trading day of the 1987 stock-market crash in Hong Kong?
Answer
October 19, 1987
October 19, 1987, marked the first trading day of the 1987 stock-market crash in Hong Kong.
The global 1987 crash began in Hong Kong before spreading westward through international markets. On October 19, the Hang Seng Index fell sharply, and selling pressure then moved through European markets before reaching the United States. The same date became known as Black Monday in the United States, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its largest one-day percentage decline.
The episode demonstrated how linked financial markets had become. Investors reacted to rising interest rates, trade concerns, valuation worries, and program trading. Because markets opened at different times, the crash appeared to travel around the world as each exchange began trading.
The date is sometimes confused with October 20, when markets in several Asian locations continued to experience turmoil. October 19 is the canonical start date for the worldwide crash sequence.