During the 2010 Flash Crash, approximately how many Dow points did the index lose intraday?

During the 2010 Flash Crash, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost about 1,000 points intraday.

On May 6, 2010, U.S. stock indexes dropped sharply within minutes before recovering much of the loss. The Dow’s fall of nearly 1,000 points was then the largest intraday point decline in its history. Some individual securities briefly traded at extremely unusual prices, revealing weaknesses in market liquidity and automated order systems.

Investigations found that high-frequency trading and a large sell order were important parts of the event’s mechanics. Regulators concluded that the interaction of automated strategies, rapidly changing prices, and reduced liquidity helped accelerate the plunge. The precise event was not simply a normal investor panic like the 1929 crash.

The Flash Crash led to new controls, including circuit breakers for individual securities and market-wide safeguards. It is distinct from the 1987 crash because the 2010 episode unfolded and largely reversed within a single trading session, rather than producing a prolonged collapse in market values.