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The Biggest One-Day Declines in the Dow Jones Industrial Average
Economic and political turmoil often result in wild swings of stock prices
by Beth Rowen
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Investors large and small carefully monitor the stock market to keep track of their assets. Just about every news report includes a summary of the stock market’s daily action. Stock prices are often dependent on the economy and political climate. Indeed, the market serves as a barometer of not only the economic state of affairs, but also of political stability. It can be wildly unpredictable and sensitive—a far-flung election can send prices into a freefall or a rosy financial report from one sector of the government can send prices soaring. The ebb and flow of the market can cause great stress and impulsive action.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) reports the average stock price of 30 large, publicly traded U.S. companies. It tends to reflect the state of the stock market as a whole. Though its name would lead you to believe the DJIA is made up of only industrial companies, the DJIA in fact contains stocks across many “industries,” not all of which are industrial. The businesses represented include financial, food, technology, retail, heavy equipment, oil, chemical, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, and entertainment.
History of the Dow Jones Average
Charles Dow (1851–1902) and Edward Davis Jones (1856–1920) created the Dow Jones index in 1884. The first average consisted mainly of railroad stocks. The industrial average debuted in 1896 with 12 stocks, representing many industries, and railroad stocks became a separate average. Later in 1896, the Wall Street Journal began publishing the daily average. The industrial average expanded from 12 to 20 stocks in 1916, and to 30 in 1928.
Here’s a look at the ten biggest declines in the DJIA, based on the number of points the average fell. Many of the biggest drops occurred during the 2008 U.S. financial crisis.
| Date | Drop in points (percent in parentheses) | Closing price | Circumstances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sept. 29, 2008 | 777.68 (-6.98%) | 10,365.45 | The financial crisis in the U.S. deepened when the House of Representatives rejected a $700 billion bailout package. |
| 2. | Sept. 17, 2001 | 684.81 (-7.13%) | 8,920.70 | The market plunged on the first day of trading after the Sep. 11 terrorist attacks against the U.S. |
| 3. | Oct. 9, 2008 | 678.91 (7.3%) | 8,579.19 | In the most active day in New York Stock Exchange history, investors sell off stocks in a panic, and the Dow closes below 9,000 for the first time in five years. |
| 4. | April 14, 2000 | 617.77 (-5.66%) | 10,305.78 | The Dow dropped in reaction to a government report that said consumer prices were stronger than expected, which triggered fears of inflation. |
| 5. | Oct. 27, 1997 | 554.26 (-7.18%) | 7,161.14 | The Dow fell after an overnight crash of the Asian markets that started in Hong Kong. Prices dropped so quickly and radically that trading was halted twice during the day, and the market was shut down early. |
| 6. | Aug. 31, 1998 | 512.62 (-6.37%) | 7,539.06 | The Dow sunk in reaction to political uncertainty in Russia that left the Russian economy on the brink of collapse. |
| 7. | Oct. 7, 2008 | 508.39 (-5.11%) | 9,447.11 | The Dow continued its precipitous fall as the 2008 financial crisis showed no signs of letting up, despite the passage of a $700 billion bailout package by the U.S. government. |
| 8. | Oct. 19, 1987 | 508.00 (-22.61%) | 1,738.74 | The Dow dipped drastically on “Black Monday,” following a meltdown in Asian markets that spread to Europe and the U.S. |
| 9. | Sept. 15, 2008 | 504.48 (-4.42%) | 10,917.51 | Fear overtook the market the day after Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, the largest in U.S. history. It was the worst one-day loss since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. |
| 10. | Sept. 17, 2008 | 449.36 (-4.06%) | 10,609.66 | This decline came the day after the Federal Reserve agreed to a $85 billion package to rescue the insurance giant American International Group. |
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