Which 2010 U.S. trading event briefly sent the Dow down almost 1,000 points?

The Flash Crash was the May 6, 2010 U.S. trading event that briefly sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average down almost 1,000 points.

During the afternoon session, major U.S. indexes fell rapidly before recovering much of the loss within minutes. Some individual securities recorded extremely low or high prices, creating unusual market conditions.

Investigations linked the episode to interactions among high-frequency trading, automated order systems, market liquidity, and a large sell order. The event showed how electronic markets could amplify a shock even without a conventional economic collapse.

The Flash Crash differs from Black Monday in 1987 and the 2008 financial crisis. It was a short-lived intraday disruption rather than a prolonged bear market caused by a banking and credit breakdown.