DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
The New York Stock Exchange set the circuit-breaker thresholds
for the first quarter of 2010.
The exchange first implemented the circuit breakers in the wake
of the market's crash in October 1997. In 1998, the NYSE set the
triggers at 10%, 20% and 30% declines in the Dow Jones Industrial
Average for the three levels of halts.
For 2010's first quarter, a level 1 halt will stop trading for
an hour if the Dow falls 1,050 points before 2 p.m. ET, or for 30
minutes if triggered between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
A second-level halt--in the event of a 2,100-point drop--will
last for two hours if it happens before 1 p.m., one hour if in the
next hour, or for the rest of the day if after 2 p.m.
Finally, trading will end for the rest of the day, regardless of
timing, if the DJIA falls 3,150 points.
-By John Kell, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2480;
john.kell@dowjones.com