WATCH: Computer glitch not a cyber attack to blame for NYSE outage. CBS Moneywatch reporter Jill Wagner is at the stock exchange with details.
Trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the world’s biggest market for shares of public companies, resumed with about an hour left on the clock on Wednesday following an unexpected halt lasting much of the day.
The NYSE said a “technical issue” caused it to freeze all trading activity shortly after 11 a.m. EST.
The sudden halt heightened anxiety among market watchers and investors who were already responding to a sharp sell-off of stocks in China — where authorities are struggling to contain a mounting financial crisis — as well as market turmoil in Europe caused by Greece’s potential default on bailout loans.
NYSE officials said the halt was unrelated to any “external” factors, including a “cyber attack.”
“We’re currently experiencing a technical issue that we’re working to resolve as quickly as possible,” Marissa Arnold, an NYSE spokeswoman, told Bloomberg News in an e-mailed statement.
Sell-off
The NYSE alongside other North American markets, including the Toronto Stock Exchange, was in the midst of a broad sell-off of shares Wednesday morning as investors reacted to deep declines in the Chinese stock market.
MORE: China tells companies to buy shares as market slide deepens
Other U.S. stock exchanges remained open, though, while trading in Toronto was unaffected. The TSX/S&P composite index, which represents a broad basket of Canadian shares, was down 220 points or 1.5 per cent in mid-afternoon trading. American stock indices such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 were similarly down shortly after the New York exchange re-opened.
Internal glitch
The NYSE said via its Twitter account the halt was not the result of a “cyber breach.” Officials have also said there is no sign that it is related to a computer outage that grounded United Airlines flights Wednesday morning
“The issue we are experiencing is an internal technical issue,” NYSE’s Twitter account said.
The U.S. exchange said it was experiencing a glitch ahead of Wednesday morning’s opening bell at 9:30 a.m., affecting about 220 stocks listed on the exchange. But the issue was said to be resolved, and trading commenced on schedule until the halt.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Twitter Wednesday it was in contact with NYSE:
— With files from Associated Press
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