Flash Crash

What Is a Flash Crash?

A flash crash is an event in electronic securities markets wherein the withdrawal of stock orders rapidly amplifies price declines, and then quickly recovers. The result appears to be a rapid sell-off of securities that can happen over a few minutes, resulting in dramatic declines. However, usually by the end of the trading day, as prices have rebounded, it's as if the flash crash never happened.

Understanding a Flash Crash

A flash crash, like the one that occurred on May 6, 2010, is exacerbated as computer trading programs react to aberrations in the market, such as heavy selling in one or many securities, and automatically begin selling large volumes at an incredibly rapid pace to avoid losses.

Flash crashes can trigger circuit breakers at major stock exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which halt trading until buy and sell orders can be matched up evenly and trading can resume in an orderly fashion. Especially as trading has become more digitized, flash crashes are usually triggered by these computer algorithms rather than a specific piece of market or company news that causes the quick selloff. As the price continues to drop and more benchmarks are triggered, it can cause a domino effect that sets off a sudden plunge in value. That being said, a lot more research is needed on flash crashes, including any indication of fraudulent activity.

Preventing a Flash Crash

As securities trading has become a more heavily computerized industry that is driven by complicated algorithms across global networks, the propensity for glitches, errors, and even flash crashes has risen. That said, global exchanges like the NYSE, Nasdaq, and the CME have put in place stronger security measures and mechanisms to prevent them and the staggering losses they can lead to.

For example, they have put in place market-wide circuit breakers that trigger a pause or a complete stop in trading activity. A decline of 7% or 13% in a market's index from its previous close halts trading activity for 15 minutes. A crash of more than 20% halts trading for the rest of the day. The SEC also banned naked access or direct connections to exchanges. High-frequency trading firms, who have been blamed for precipitating the flash crash's effects, often use their broker-dealer's code in order to access exchanges directly. Such measures cannot eliminate flash crashes altogether, but they have been able to mitigate the damages they can cause.

Examples of Flash Creashes

Flash Crash of 2010

Shortly after 2:30 p.m. EST on May 6, 2010, a flash crash began as the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 1,000 points in 10 minutes, the biggest drop in history at that point. Within the hour, the Dow Jones index lost almost 9% of its value. Over one trillion dollars in equity was evaporated, although the market regained 70% by the end of the day. Initial reports claiming that the crash was caused by a mistyped order proved to be erroneous, and the causes of the flash were attributed to Navinder Sarao, a futures trader in the London suburbs, who pled guilty for attempting to "spoof the market" by quickly buying and selling hundreds of E-Mini S&P Futures contracts through the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

There have been other flash crash type events in recent history, wherein the volume of computer-generated orders outpaced the ability for the exchanges to maintain proper order flow: 

Flash Crash FAQs

What Caused the Flash Crash of 2010?

According to an investigative report by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Flash Crash of 2010 was triggered by a single order selling a large amount of E-Mini S&P contracts.

Can a Flash Crash Happen Again?

Flash crashes can still happen and still do: according to two mathematics professors at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, the stock market has approximately 12 mini flash crashes a day.

What Is a Flash Crash in the Stock Market?

A flash crash in the stock market refers to rapid price declines in an overall market or a stock's price, due to a withdrawal of orders, which then rebounds back.

How Long Does a Flash Crash Last?

A flash crash takes place within a trading day and can last a matter of minutes or hours.