Which U.S. president's name is attached to the 1962 stock market decline?

The 1962 stock market decline is attached to U.S. President John F. Kennedy. It is commonly called the Kennedy Slide of 1962, or the Flash Crash of 1962, and occurred during Kennedy’s presidency.

The decline began after the market peaked in late 1961 and continued through the first half of 1962. The S&P 500 fell about 22.5% during the period, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered a sharp one-day drop on May 28, 1962.

The name does not mean Kennedy personally caused the fall. An SEC investigation described the downturn as the result of interacting economic, psychological, and market pressures. The market remained volatile until confidence improved later in 1962, after the Cuban Missile Crisis.

A common mix-up is confusing this episode with the 1929 Wall Street Crash or with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The Kennedy Slide was a market decline during Kennedy’s term, not a formal crash named after a presidential policy.