New York, NY – Investors who thought they had struck gold by purchasing shares in Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway at a major discount were in for a rude awakening. A technical issue on the stock exchange led to trades being canceled, erasing the bargain gains some investors thought they had made.
The glitch on June 3 caused Berkshire Hathaway’s stock price to plummet to $185 a share, a staggering drop from its previous close at over $620,000. This meant that traders who managed to snag the stock at the rock-bottom price would have seen their investment increase to over $3 million in value today.
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) quickly took action to undo all trades of Berkshire Hathaway stock priced at or below $603,718.30 per share. The issue was traced back to a problem at the Consolidated Tape Association (CTA), which provides real-time information on quotes and trades on the exchange.
While the exact number of individuals who took advantage of the drastic price drop remains unconfirmed, the NYSE wasted no time in busting the erroneous trades and ensuring that all tickers were trading normally. Other companies, such as Chipotle, Barrack Gold Corporation, and GameStop, also saw their discounted trades facing cancellations.
Despite the chaos surrounding the Class A stock, Berkshire Hathaway’s Class B Stock remained untouched by the technical glitch and closed at a respectable price of over $631,000 per share. The company did not provide immediate comments on the situation.
The incident involving Berkshire Hathaway is just one of many glitches experienced by stock exchanges worldwide, hinting at potential vulnerabilities in the system that may recur in the future. Stories of technical mishaps impacting traders continue to emerge, with incidents like the disappearance of live data from the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average raising concerns about the reliability of market systems.
In the wake of the NYSE’s swift response to the issue, other exchanges have not been as fortunate. A recent case involving a London trader who caused tens of millions in losses to a Wall Street giant serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences that technical errors can have on the financial sector. As the investigation into these incidents unfolds, the need for greater vigilance and safeguards in the stock trading landscape becomes increasingly apparent.