General
fat finger
What does fat finger mean?
A keying mistake by a trader, hitting the wrong digit or an extra zero and accidentally sending an order for the wrong amount, price or instrument. Fat-finger trades have triggered flash crashes and cost banks hundreds of millions in seconds.
"Someone sold 600,000 shares instead of 60,000, classic fat finger, the stock gapped 8% in a minute."
Origin
Traditional trading slang for input errors, applied in crypto markets.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fat finger in trading?
It's an order placed with the wrong amount, price, or asset because of a typo, and it can sometimes move the market dramatically.
Where does the term fat finger come from?
It's traditional trading slang, evoking clumsy fingers hitting the wrong keys, and it carried over into crypto markets.
Can a fat finger crash a price?
Yes — a large mistyped sell order can cause a sudden 'flash wick' down before the market recovers, which is often blamed on a fat finger.
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