Black Thursday to 'Bloodbath Monday': Worst market crashes since 1929

Monday's stock market collapses in Asia and Europe revived memories of similar market turmoil after the COVID pandemic and the last global financial crisis.

The world's governments and financial institutions continue to take stock of U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs. 

Analysts called the falls "historic",  some even described it as a "bloodbath", recalling previous collapses since the start of the last century.

2020: PANDEMIC

Global stocks crashed in March 2020 after the World Health Organization declared COVID 19 a pandemic, putting much of the world under lockdown. 

On March 12, 2020 - the day after the announcement - Paris fell 12 percent, Madrid 14 percent and Milan 17 percent. London dropped 11 percent and New York 10 percent in the worst fall since 1987.

Further falls came over the following days, with U.S. indexes dropping over 12 percent.

The rapid response by national governments, which dug deep to keep their economies afloat, helped most markets rebound within months.

2008: SUBPRIME CRSIS 

The global financial crisis in 2008 was caused by bankers in the U.S. giving subprime mortgages to people on shaky financial footing and then selling them off as investments, fueling a housing boom.

When borrowers became unable to pay their mortgages, millions lost their homes, the stock market crashed and the banking system buckled, culminating with the dramatic bankruptcy of investment bank Lehman Brothers.

From January to October that year, the world's main stock markets fell between 30 and 50 percent.

2000: DOTCOM BUBBLE

The start of the millennium saw the deflation of the tech bubble caused by venture capitalists throwing money at unproven companies.

From a record 5,048.62 points on March 10, 2000, the U.S. tech-heavy Nasdaq index lost 39.3 percent in value over the year.

Many internet start-ups went out of business.

1987: BLACK MONDAY

Wall Street crashed on October 19, 1987, on the back of large U.S. trade and budget deficits and interest rates hikes. 

It was named 'Black Monday' after months and years of share price rises were reversed in just a single day of trading. 

In August 1987, every major U.S. index hit record highs. But in autumn of that year investors began selling - and by October, at a rapid rate.

The Dow Jones index lost 22.6 percent, causing panic on markets worldwide. One dealer said: "Our mouths were wide open, our jaws were hitting the desk."

1929: WALL STREET COLLAPSE

Many financial experts had warned the U.S. economy was slowing down and in September 1929 some investors started selling shares in huge numbers. Nerves and panic forced a rapid sale of shares. 

12.8 million shares were sold with thousands seeing their fortune or any money they had in the bank, disappear.

October 24, 1929 became known as 'Black Thursday' on Wall Street after a bull market (rising prices, investor optimism) imploded, causing the Dow Jones to lose more than 22 percent of its value.

Stocks recouped most lost ground during the day but the rot set in. October 28 and 29 also saw massive losses in a crisis that marked the beginning of the Great Depression in the U.S. and a global economic crisis.