Stock Market Trading Halted by Circuit <br />Breaker for First Time Since 1997 The circuit breaker mechanism <br />was triggered early in Monday's trading<br />after the S&P 500 plunged seven percent <br />shortly after opening. Global economies continues to be shaken <br />by the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak. For 15 minutes, <br />the entire stock market <br />was shut down. The market recovered enough <br />and remained relatively stable for the <br />rest of the trading day, preventing <br />another circuit breaker shut down. Had the market continued to <br />tumble reaching a 13 percent decline, <br />the mechanism would have been re-triggered. A 20 percent decline <br />would trigger a third halt in trading. The mechanism was <br />designed to give traders a moment to <br />breathe and reassess their options. It was introduced after Black Monday in 1987, <br />when the market crashed by 20 percent. The only other time it <br />was used was in Oct. of 1997. On Monday, the S&P 500 <br />ended the day of trading down 7.6 percent.
