HSBC Share Price Spikes 10% After 'Fat Finger' Blunder

A "fat finger" has been blamed for causing a sudden spike in HSBC's share price, which quickly corrected itself again after leaping 10% out of the blue.

Market watchers and professionals were left scratching their heads when HSBC jumped, dragging the sluggish FTSE 100 into the black, before flattening back out again.

Most put it down to a trader's chubby digit hitting the wrong keys.

Why exactly have HSBC shares just shot up 10%? Pulled FTSE back into black

— Chris Marshall (@cmarshallCW) January 30, 2014

Massive fat finger on #HSBC. Up 10%, now in backwardation. — Luke Springthorpe (@L_Springthorpe) January 30, 2014

#HSBC HFT flashes it up 10% now back down it is. 'Fat Finger' some say it was, hmmmmm.

— Yoda (@JediEconomist) January 30, 2014

Others doubt that it was a fat finger, however.

global markets repriced on an hsbc spike as algo feeds on algo... a fat finger doesn't move a stock like hsbc 10% Where is reality? — Liam Roberts (@RoberrsLarry) January 30, 2014