market crash of 1987

I generally don't reveal actual dollars, but suffice it to say, the S&P was $500 per point at that time. I shorted at 329.00 and covered at 241.00.
 
Quote from Buy1Sell2:

I generally don't reveal actual dollars, but suffice it to say, the S&P was $500 per point at that time. I shorted at 329.00 and covered at 241.00.
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Great job!

I wasn't trading then..but am curious to find how the different indices performed compared to each other (intraday and daily). Particularly, small caps vs. large caps -- anyone remember or have any charts? ...how did the Russell 2000 perform vs. S&P500? If I had to guess, small caps (Russell 2K) tanked even more than S&P500..is that right?
 
Wish I could help, but I never pay attention to any index except the S&P. Was the Russell 2K even around then? I don't remember
 
Quote from lynx2004:

Great job!

I wasn't trading then..but am curious to find how the different indices performed compared to each other (intraday and daily). Particularly, small caps vs. large caps -- anyone remember or have any charts? ...how did the Russell 2000 perform vs. S&P500? If I had to guess, small caps (Russell 2K) tanked even more than S&P500..is that right?
More...
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Hi lynx: It might be hard to get charts from retail traders for
the 1987 crash because personal computers were not common and those who had them were using dialup 600 or 1200 baud modems.. ...and on top of that the data providers were swamped too.. You have to get into the fact that even big outfits like Fidelity were not answering their phones like normal.. Somewhere in my storage, I've kept copies of the WSJ and IBD as well as a few major newspapers and they all reported most could NOT get calls through anywhere normal... Even FNN (old cnbc) was swamped trying to keep up... Even if you found some charts, you would be making a mistake to trust them... It was almost a free-for-all. I watched most of it during the 3 or 4 days when it made all the headlines.. It was a mess... and I've started watching the market action back in the mid 1960's.
I think only froor traders there at the Exchanges were able to play it if they were seasoned traders... I think it was Tuesday when I stopped at a library to get a stock market book and the librarian wouldn't help me. She flat out said the market will never be the same any more so why bother reading any of those books..
Yes, it was quite a time.. agpilot
 
For what it's worth...........(1) You could go to a public library and look at the Tuesday, 10-20-87, Wall Street Journal. In the stock tables, I believe even back then they printed an intra-day Dow Jones chart. (2) The episode on Thursday 10-22-87, with the huge sell order, was because of George Soros. He wanted "out" of the market that morning. He got "out" but very "disadvantageously". I believe he tried to litigate against the CME and his brokers but nothing came of it. Lewis Borsellino devoted a chapter to that day in one of his books. Check it out if you dare.
 
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