Dow hits five-month low after unprecedented NYSE suspension

The Dow Jones fell to a five-month low last night, with traders having earlier been rattled by a four-hour long suspension of the New York Stock Exchange.

The trading floor of the NYSE was suspended at 11.30am EST, sparking uncertainty among traders. It remain suspended for almost four hours until reopening at almost 4pm. The NYSE said the fault was down to a technical glitch in an attempt to allay fears of a hacking attack, but markets sold off in the aftermath. The Dow Jones fell 1.4% to 17,515, while the S&P 500 was down 1.6% to 2,046. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index was down 2% to 4,909. The figure for the Dow Jones index represents the lowest close since 2 February. US stocks had already fallen prior to the suspension due to a se...