› added 6 years ago

187

TIL due to a typo, the Japanese company Mizuho Securities tried to sell 610,000 shares for a yen each (less than a penny) instead of 1 share for 610,000 yen (around $5,000). Despite three separate attempts to cancel it, the Tokyo Stock Exchange processed it anyway, costing the company $225 million.

Read more cbsnews.com

via reddit.com

j6VgQ TIL that spoofing (finance) is when spoofers post a large number of limit orders on one side of the limit order book to make other market participants believe that there is pressure to sell or to buy the asset.
epaWD TIL that, contrary to popular belief, there is only one known instance where pirates buried their treasure. William Kidd buried his treasure on Gardiner Island before he was hanged. The myth of buried pirate treasure was later popularized by novels like Treasure Island.
d8VxB TIL the British are often referred to as “Limey” because of their army’s use of lime to prevent scurvy when at sea. The use of citrus was initially a closely guarded military secret as it gave them the ability to remain at sea for lengthy periods without contracting the disorder.
8XO8 TIL the word “gorilla” comes from the Greek word meaning, “a tribe of hairy women.”
1aReO TIL that heart break can cause severe physical pain and nausea. This is believed to be part of the survival instinct. The "social-attachment system" uses the "pain system" to encourage humans to maintain their close social relationships by causing pain when those relationships are lost.