The Chicago Mercantile Exchange faced a 10-hour trading halt due to a cooling system malfunction at a data center in Aurora, affecting markets globally. Traders expressed frustration and accusations of manipulation. CME restored full functionality, but delays persisted in certain products even after reopening.

The outage disrupted trading in equities, currencies, commodities, and crypto, with some pointing out the suspicious timing during low-volume sessions. Silver futures were near a record high before prices froze. The incident highlighted the risk of centralized infrastructure in electronic markets.

CME’s Globex platform, which handles a majority of trading volume, experienced the outage, impacting various markets including crude, palm oil, and crypto. Some traders called for canceled losses on affected trades. The incident lasted longer than a similar 2019 outage, emphasizing the systemic risk of centralized infrastructure.

Bitcoin futures resumed trading above $90,000 after the holiday, pushing towards $93,000. Analysts noted resistance at $95,000 but suggested a path towards six-figure territory. The blackout coincided with CME’s plans to expand cryptocurrency trading to a 24/7 cycle by early 2026 due to rising demand for continuous risk management.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: Traders Cry “Manipulation” After 10-Hour Halt Freezes Markets