Software update may have triggered NYSE trading halt

[NEW YORK] A computer malfunction that forced the New York Stock Exchange to suspend trading for more than three hours on Wednesday probably stemmed from a software update that went awry, Bloomberg reported, citing two people briefed on a preliminary review.

The New York Stock Exchange, a unit of Intercontinental Exchange Inc, reopened at 3.10pm EDT (1910 GMT) after being halted shortly after 11.30am EDT. NYSE said the outage was due to an internal technical issue and not the result of a cyberattack. Other exchanges were trading normally.

The NYSE must now verify the cause and report its conclusions to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, which will use those findings to investigate whether any violation of rules occurred, Bloomberg reported.

Reuters could not immediately reach the NYSE and the SEC for comment outside regular US business hours.

REUTERS