Which exchange saw the first major trading day of the 1929 Wall Street Crash?

The New York Stock Exchange saw the first major trading day of the 1929 Wall Street Crash.

The New York Stock Exchange was the principal marketplace involved in the dramatic sell-offs of October 1929. After heavy selling on October 24, known as Black Thursday, panic intensified during the following week. On October 29, known as Black Tuesday, record trading volume accompanied another major collapse in prices.

The crash followed years of rising stock prices, widespread speculation, and increased use of borrowed money to buy shares. Banks and brokers had extended credit to investors, so falling prices created pressure to sell and repay loans. The market collapse was a central event in the broader economic crisis that became the Great Depression.

The exchange itself was not the sole cause of the Depression. Industrial weakness, banking failures, falling demand, and international economic problems also mattered. The New York Stock Exchange is the specific institution associated with the crash, while Wall Street is the broader financial district and popular shorthand for the U.S. market.