Trading curb
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A trading curb, also known as a circuit breaker, is a point at which a stock market will stop trading for a period of time in response to substantial drops in value.
Contents |
[edit] Circuit breakers
On the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), one type of trading curb is referred to as a "circuit breaker." These limits were put in place after Black Monday in order to reduce market volatility and massive panic sell-offs, giving traders time to reconsider their transactions.
At the start of each quarter, the NYSE sets three circuit breaker levels at levels of 10%, 20%, and 30% of the average closing price of the Dow Jones Industrial Average for the month preceding the start of the quarter, rounded to the nearest 50-point interval. As of the first quarter of 2009, these levels are 850 points, 1,700 points, and 2,600 points respectively. Depending on the point drop that happens and the time of day when it happens, different actions occur automatically:
Trading curbs on Dow futures contracts traded on the Chicago Board of Trade are based on NYSE levels, with the exception that only the 10% threshold is in effect outside of regular NYSE trading hours, and is relative to the previous daily settlement price.
[edit] Program trading curbs
The NYSE formerly implemented a curb on program trading whenever the NYSE Composite Index moved 190 points or more from its previous close, and remained in place for the rest of the trading day or until the gain or loss had decreased to 90 or fewer points. This curb permitted program sales to be executed only on upticks and program buys on downticks. A program trade is defined by the NYSE as a basket of stocks from the S&P 500 where there are at least 15 stocks or where the value of the basket is at least $1 million. Such trades are generally computer automated. Since over 50% of all trades on the NYSE are program trades, this curb limited volatility by mitigating the ability of automated trades to drive stock prices down via positive feedback.
This curb was fairly common, and financial television networks such as CNBC often referred to it with the term "curbs in."
On November 7, 2007, the NYSE confirmed that the exchange has scrapped this rule as of November 2[1]. The reason given for the rule's elimination was its ineffectiveness in curbing market volatility.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Circuit Breakers and Other Market Volatility Procedures
- Circuit Breakers and Trading Collars at the New York Stock Exchange
- Dow Contracts Price Limits and Trading Halts at the Chicago Board of Trade
- Program trading curbs
