About how long did the 2010 Flash Crash last from its start to its recovery?

The 2010 Flash Crash lasted about 36 minutes from its sharp decline to its substantial recovery.

On May 6, 2010, U.S. stock markets plunged rapidly, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly losing nearly 1,000 points. The collapse began around 2:32 p.m. Eastern Time, and much of the decline had reversed by about 3:07 p.m.

A later investigation found that a large automated sell order in E-mini S&P 500 futures interacted with high-frequency trading systems and stressed already fragile markets. Liquidity providers withdrew or reduced quotes, causing extreme price movements in individual shares and exchange-traded funds.

The event differed from a conventional crash because prices moved down and back up extraordinarily quickly. Regulators introduced stronger safeguards, including single-stock circuit breakers and marketwide limit rules. Some trades executed at clearly erroneous prices were canceled, illustrating how electronic markets can behave differently during a liquidity vacuum.