How many Dow Jones points did the 2010 Flash Crash erase at its intraday low?

The 2010 Flash Crash erased about 998.5 Dow Jones Industrial Average points at its intraday low.

On May 6, 2010, United States stock markets plunged rapidly before recovering much of the loss. The Dow’s fall was approximately 9% from its previous close, and the index briefly reached its lowest level of the day after an exceptionally fast wave of selling.

Investigations linked the episode to interactions among high-frequency trading, automated orders, and a large sell order in the futures market. The exact mechanics were complex, but the event showed how electronic markets could move dramatically within minutes.

The crash did not represent a conventional multi-year economic collapse. Much of the decline was reversed before the trading session ended, although many individual securities experienced extreme and temporary price changes. Regulators later introduced or strengthened safeguards, including trading pauses and improved monitoring of automated trading.