What was the largest approximate intraday point loss of the Dow during the 2010 Flash Crash?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost about 1,000 points during the 2010 Flash Crash. The sudden plunge occurred on May 6, 2010, within minutes, before much of the decline was reversed.

The episode affected major US stock indexes, individual shares, exchange-traded funds, and futures markets. Investigations found that automated trading and a large sell order contributed to extraordinary volatility, while fragmented markets and liquidity shortages amplified the move.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission investigated the event. A UK-based trader, Navinder Singh Sarao, was later charged in connection with spoofing and market manipulation; the crash’s broader mechanics involved many interacting systems rather than one simple action.

The event led to reforms including market-wide circuit breakers and better coordination between exchanges. It is called a flash crash because the most dramatic losses happened extremely quickly, not because markets remained at their lowest levels all day.