NYSE gets wave of sell orders, unleashing stock market chaos

A wave of sell orders targeting financial services stocks swept across American equity exchanges at the open of trading Tuesday, sending companies including Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley to brief but sharp plunges from which they mostly quickly recovered.

After closing Monday at $45.03, Wells Fargo fell as low as $38.10 before bouncing back, while Morgan Stanley plunged to $84.93 after ending at $97.13 on Monday.

New York Stock Exchange As Wall Street Seen Trapped In Crushing Bear Market

Exchange officials didn't immediately respond to phone calls and emails. The price action bears hallmarks of past episodes in which mistaken trades led to sudden price distortions.

Tuesday's transactions occurred in New York Stock Exchange-listed securities and took place on virtually every trading platform, including ones overseen by CBOE Global Markets and private venues reporting to the Finra trade reporting facility.

Other impacted stocks included the likes of Walmart and McDonald's. These stocks saw drops of at least 12% before they were halted. Their moves have now rebounded to less than 1% in either direction.

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