Which stock exchange suffered the earliest major plunge in the 1987 global crash?

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange suffered the earliest major plunge in the 1987 global crash.

Hong Kong’s market fell sharply in October 1987, before the panic spread through other major financial centers. Trading was suspended for several days from October 20 to October 26 as authorities and market participants dealt with extreme volatility and operational pressures.

The crisis then moved westward through international markets. London experienced a severe decline on October 19, and New York’s Dow Jones Industrial Average recorded its famous one-day fall on the same date. Markets in Australia, Canada, and other countries also suffered heavy losses.

Black Monday was not caused by one universally accepted event. Analysts have identified computerized trading, portfolio insurance, international market connections, and investor concerns about interest rates and trade deficits as contributing factors. Hong Kong’s early collapse is distinct from the Dow’s later record decline, so the two facts should not be treated as the same event.