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Computer Problem Caused Price Errors on NASDAQ

buckthorn writes "An article running on Yahoo News states: 'A computer problem at an unidentified stock trader caused erroneous, exaggerated prices -- some as high as $950 per share -- to be posted to the Nasdaq Stock Market Friday morning for 1,680 different stocks, a spokeswoman for the Nasdaq said.'"

25 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. Mr President, Dr. Evil is on the line... by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 5, Funny


    Good afternoon gentlemen. As you are all no doubt aware, I have perfected a method of manipulating the various stock exchanges throughout the world. You received proof of this this morning, as relatively worthless Nasdaq stocks such as Maxco, Inc. and J.W. Mays Inc. traded briefly at hundreds of times their real value. I believe my latest caper, which I've puckishly dubbed 'Operation Stocking-Stuffer', is certainly worthy of your attention...

    You see, gentleman, when 'Operation Stocking-Stuffer' is deployed in earnest, all stock exchanges will be laid waste...all trade will effectively cease, and global civilization itself will crumble...that is...unless you pay me...



    One hundred billion trillion fafillion dollahs!!!

    (cue dramatic music)



    Gentleman, you have my demands...peace out.

    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    1. Re:Mr President, Dr. Evil is on the line... by xCepheus · · Score: 5, Funny

      I can picture the engineers over at Nasdaq...

      (a huge server farm where the racks are shaking violently and making strange noises)

      Engineer1: I need a young priest and an old priest!
      Engineer2: The power of Christ compels you!

  2. screaming into cell phone... by pudding7 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sell! Sell!

    1. Re:screaming into cell phone... by whackco · · Score: 2, Funny

      Bastard! You beat me to my punchline by a whole minute. Damn Friday the 13th!

    2. Re:screaming into cell phone... by M3rk1n_Muffl3y · · Score: 2, Funny

      1. buy stock 2. ????????? 3. sell stock 4. profit

      --
      This is not the sig you are looking for...
    3. Re:screaming into cell phone... by jazman_777 · · Score: 2, Funny
      Sell! Sell!

      Thanks for the tip! I made money with Sun stock!!

      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
  3. Take those transactions back! by BorgCopyeditor · · Score: 1, Funny

    I call do-over!

    --
    Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
  4. Not this again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    A problem where technology caused wildly erroneous stock prices? I liked it the first time around when it was called the dot com bubble. The parties were better.

    1. Re:Not this again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      How about the second time around, when the wildly erroneous prices were caused by SCO FUD?

  5. Dr. Evil gets frist post! by screwthemoderators · · Score: 3, Funny

    Was first post on a non-duped Slashdot story on part of the demands?

  6. Wow, that was close. by robyannetta · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just as long as the price of this stock wasn't artificially manipulated by $950 per share, we could have been in hot water.

    --
    - Just my $0.02, take with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary.
  7. I'M RICH BIATCH!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Those 100 SCOX shares really paid off!

    W00t!!

  8. SCOX? by WillRobinson · · Score: 2, Funny

    I thought this was why scox went up, but when we looked at the time it went up, it didnt conside with the error. Oh well, guess its just a pump/dump for monday.

  9. I'm rich! by kihjin · · Score: 2, Funny

    Those transactions, which were made 15 percent above or below the previous day's closing price, will be "broken" -- the buyer will get his or her money back, and the stock will revert to the seller.

    I wont let them. They can't take it back.... right? ...

    What the hell is banging on my door? They are insi#%*#&)^*!&$NO CARRIER

    --
    This slashdot-related signature is a stub. You can help kihjin by expanding it.
  10. ObOfficespace quote by southpolesammy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Michael Bolton: I must have put a decimal point in the wrong place or something. Shit. I always do that. I always mess up some mundane detail.

    --
    Rule #1 -- Politics always trumps technology.
    1. Re:ObOfficespace quote by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 2, Funny

      Main Entry: launder
      Function: transitive verb
      : to transfer (money or instruments deriving from illegal activity) so as to conceal the true nature and source

      --
      "I only speak the truth"
      Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
  11. Re:"COMPUTER" error by freeplatypus · · Score: 3, Funny

    It was either a programming error (human) or an operator error (human) or some other cause. OK, clearly hardware faults can cause data corruption, but this is really pretty rare and it's hard to believe that a hardware fault could cause such a widespread fault.

    Another good reason to eliminate The Human Factor. Let the Robot Age begin!

  12. Been going on for over a year now... by tktk · · Score: 4, Funny

    Just look at SCO's share prices.

  13. Damnit! by Gogogoch · · Score: 5, Funny

    Damnit, I could have made some money! Except that my funds are tied-up in a Nigerian opportunity at the moment. But boy-o-boy is that opportunity gonna make me rich! Rich! I say!

  14. In other news by hsmith · · Score: 2, Funny

    Microsoft blames IE Share loss on NASDAQ computer errors

  15. Trading Technologies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    This issue was actually caused by trading software provider Trading Technologies (who are currently suing all of their clients due to supposed patent violations). It was caused by a bug in their automatic spread trading module, which caused it to run amok on one of their client's trading consoles.

  16. Re:Input Validation? by k4_pacific · · Score: 2, Funny
    I guess they need some validation code to alert them of a problem.

    if(new_price > old_price + 900.0)
    {
    // holy shit!!
    int fd = open("/dev/ticker", O_WRONLY);
    while(1)
    write(fd, "TILT! ", 6);
    }
    --
    Unknown host pong.
  17. Re:Praetorians? by pilgrim23 · · Score: 3, Funny

    No, but they did trade at 3.14159265

    --
    - Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata descendum pantorum.
  18. 2 Revealed! by Aggrav8d · · Score: 2, Funny

    Step 1: Buy worthless penny stock
    Step 2: Await computer error
    Step 3: Profit!!!1!

    In Soviet..erm, I'd like to see a beow...uh, I for one, welc... oh, just forget it.

  19. Re:Not as uncommon as you think by bonzoesc · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's like that, but not as gay because there's no purple elves.