New York – A computer glitch at the Nasdaq Stock Market left erroneous stock-price swings on major online financial-news websites and brokerage sites all day Thursday. The Associated Press caught the errors, and the stock tables AP sent to newspapers for Thursday editions – including The Denver Post – were correct.
While nearly impossible to assess the full extent of the damage, the technical foul-up created incorrect price changes for as many as 1,487 stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The errors potentially could have misled investors using the erroneous information in deciding on a stock trade.
Nasdaq spokeswoman Bethany Sherman said the errors were confined to NYSE-listed stocks, which brokers and institutions can trade on Nasdaq’s electronic platforms as well as on the floor of the Big Board. Sherman said the stock market fixed the computer glitch and was working with vendors to correct stock-price changes. She added that stock indexes and mutual-fund net asset values, computed after the close of the market, were not affected by the problem.
