📉 Historical Timeline of Major Stock Market Crashes (1900–2025

1907 – Panic of 1907

• Trigger: Collapse of Knickerbocker Trust and bank runs.

• Impact: NYSE down ~50%. Led to the creation of the Federal Reserve.

1929 – Wall Street Crash

• Dates: Oct 24 (Black Thursday), Oct 28 (Black Monday), Oct 29 (Black Tuesday).

• Impact: Dow fell ~90% from peak to 1932 bottom. Great Depression followed.

1937–1938 – Roosevelt Recession

• Trigger: Policy tightening and reduced government spending.

• Impact: Industrial production −32%, Dow −50%.

1973–1974 – Oil Crisis Bear Market

• Trigger: OPEC oil embargo, inflation, and recession.

• Impact: Dow −45%, global indices −35–40%.

1987 – Black Monday (Oct 19)

• Trigger: Portfolio insurance, overvaluation, and panic selling.

• Impact: Dow −22.6% in a single day — worst one-day drop in history.

1989 – Friday the 13th Mini-Crash (Oct 13)

• Trigger: Collapse of UAL leveraged buyout.

• Impact: Dow −6.9%.

1997 – Asian Financial Crisis (Oct 27)

• Trigger: Thai baht collapse, regional contagion.

• Impact: Dow −7.18%, circuit breakers triggered.

1998 – LTCM / Russia Default Crisis

• Trigger: Russian debt default, hedge fund leverage blow-up.

• Impact: S&P −19% correction, near-global liquidity crunch.

2000–2002 – Dot-Com Bubble Burst

• Trigger: Overvaluation of internet stocks.

• Impact: Nasdaq −78%, trillions lost in tech sector.

2001 – 9/11 Terror Attacks

• Trigger: Market closed for a week, reopened Sept 17.

• Impact: Dow −7.1% first day, −14% that week.

2007–2009 – Global Financial Crisis

• Trigger: Subprime mortgage collapse, Lehman failure.

• Impact: S&P −57%, worst crash since 1930s.

2010 – Flash Crash (May 6)

• Trigger: High-frequency trading algorithm cascade.

• Impact: Dow plunged ~1,000 pts (~9%) intraday, then rebounded.

2011 – U.S. Credit Downgrade (Aug 8)

• Trigger: S&P downgrades U.S. credit rating.

• Impact: Dow −5.6%.

2015 – China’s Black Monday (Aug 24)

• Trigger: Chinese stock and currency turmoil.

• Impact: Dow −1,000 pts at open, −3.6% close.

2018 – Volmageddon (Feb 5)

• Trigger: Short-volatility ETFs collapse.

• Impact: S&P −4.1%, VIX +115%.

2020 – COVID-19 Crash (Mar)

• Trigger: Global pandemic, lockdowns.

• Impact: Fastest bear market in history, S&P −34% in 23 days.

2022 – Inflation & Fed Tightening Crash

• Trigger: Rapid interest-rate hikes, inflation peak.

• Impact: S&P −25% to Oct 12 low.

2023 – Banking Panic (SVB Collapse)

• Trigger: Silicon Valley Bank failure, contagion fears.

• Impact: Regional banks −30–50%, brief market shock.

🔄 Seasonality Insight

Historically, September and October are the most volatile months for markets. Many crashes cluster in these months — yet they also mark beginnings of recoveries. In the Taoist sense, when Yang (optimism) peaks, Yin (fear) begins, and vice versa.

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Prepared for: David H. Huynh – The Tao of Quantum Finance

Updated: October 13, 2025