Stock Market Glossary
Crash
Sudden, drastic decline in prices on the markets.
In brief: Sudden, drastic decline in prices on the markets.
Meaning in practice
Crashes are rare but recurring events (1929, 1987, 2000, 2008, 2020). Anyone who invests for the long term will go through several events – anyone who uses leverage or unsecured options can be ruined by just one.
Context for investors and traders
For traders, this term is most useful when preparing and executing an order. Its meaning depends on the venue, liquidity, time frame and order type. A single reading is not a reliable buy or sell decision.
How to use this in practice
Use the term first to describe the situation and add verifiable data: time frame, benchmark, costs and liquidity. Only then does it become an assessment that can be connected to an investment objective and risk budget.
What to keep in mind
Avoid false precision. Many market terms describe probabilities or historical patterns; they neither guarantee a return nor replace the review of a specific security.
