During the 2010 Flash Crash, about how many Dow Jones points disappeared within minutes before recovering?

During the 2010 Flash Crash, the Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly lost nearly 1,000 points within minutes before recovering much of the decline.

The event occurred on May 6, 2010, during a trading session already affected by uncertainty over the European sovereign-debt crisis. Major U.S. indexes suddenly plunged, while individual securities displayed extreme and sometimes irrational price movements. The Dow’s fall amounted to roughly 9% at its low point, although it ended the day down far less.

Investigations found that automated trading and market structure played major roles. A large sell order in E-mini S&P 500 futures interacted with high-frequency trading and fragmented liquidity, amplifying the move. The event showed that prices could move dramatically even without a conventional economic announcement or a sustained wave of human selling.

The Flash Crash led regulators and exchanges to improve safeguards, including single-stock circuit breakers and later market-wide rules. It is distinct from a normal bear market because the sharpest movement unfolded in a very short period and was partly reversed the same day.