How long did the 2010 Flash Crash last, according to the U.S. stock-market investigation?

The 2010 Flash Crash lasted about 36 minutes, according to descriptions of the U.S. stock-market investigation.

On May 6, 2010, major U.S. equity indexes suddenly plunged and then recovered much of the loss within minutes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly fell nearly 1,000 points, its largest intraday point drop at that time. Some individual securities traded at extremely low prices before normal market conditions returned.

A joint report by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission concluded that a large sell order in the E-mini S&P 500 futures market helped trigger a cascade of automated trading and liquidity withdrawal. The report identified a single trader, Navinder Singh Sarao, as contributing to the event through spoofing activity, though the crash involved broader market mechanics.

The phrase “36 minutes” describes the dramatic plunge and recovery period, not a complete disappearance of trading across every exchange.