Recently, the markets have been incredibly volatile. With stock prices moving violently up and down (mostly down) without pause. On any given day, a 10% change in either direction. This is a time of great uncertainty and investors hate uncertainty . Many will panic and sell, retreating to the safety of cash. With more sellers than buyers, there's a downward pressure on prices. When prices fall, more investors panic and start selling too. This vicious cycle can lead to disaster. To prevent this, or at least to soften the landing, regulators have controls in place. Taking A Break A circuit breaker is a temporary pause in trading, enforced during wild market conditions. The idea is to give traders a chance to take a step back so they can make better, more informed decisions. Circuit breakers apply to broad market indices as well as individual securities. Market Level Circuit Breakers Circuit breakers are trigged at a predetermined levels. The S&P 500 for example ha