BizJournals Portfolio

Looking Back to October 1987

Oct 19 2007
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Reflecting on the Day's Losses
On October 19, 1987, the Dow Jones industrial average plunged 508 points, or 22.6 percent.

 

NYSE
The Dow's worst day since then was on September 17, 2001, when it fell 684 points, or 7 percent.

 

Paper, Paper, Paper
604.3 million shares traded hands on Black Monday, nearly double the record set on the previous Friday. Yesterday, 3.2 billion shares traded on the NYSE.

 

Heading for the Bar
The 1987 market crash was far worse than the stock market plunge that began the Great Depression. On Oct. 29, 1929, Black Tuesday, the Dow fell 12.8 percent.

 

A High Tech World
Trade order imbalances prevented 11 of the 30 Dow components from trading at all during the first half-hour of the day.

 

Bad Day at Work
Ratio of declining stocks to gaining stocks on Black Monday: 40 to 1.

 

Read All About It
Change in the Dow from Aug. 25, 1987 to Oct. 19, 1987: down 36 percent.

 

Working the Floor
Only 16 of today's Dow components were part of the Dow Jones industrial average on Oct. 19, 1987.

 

A Reversal of Panic
October 20, 1987: Dow Up 102

October 21, 1987: Dow Up 187

Around the World
Global market reaction on Tuesday, October 20, 1987:

Australia: -25 percent

Singapore: -21 percent

London's FTSE 100: -12 percent

Tokyo: -15 percent

Hong Kong: Trading suspended after 46 percent drop on Monday.

What If?
If today's Dow fell 23 percent, it would lose 3,200 points.