Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade parent, has 'technical issues' due to 'unprecedented week in investing'
'What’s most important is to rely on traditional disciplines,' Charles Schwab's Jonathan Craig said
Charles Schwab on Thursday notified users of larger call volumes and longer-than-usual hold times, as well as technical issues, due to an "unprecedented week of trading."
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCHW | THE CHARLES SCHWAB CORP. | 81.39 | -1.37 | -1.66% |
Schwab, the parent of TD Ameritrade, experienced "heightened trading volume and volatility" this week following an unexpected surge in share prices for stocks that were expected to fall, including GameStop, AMC Entertainment, Bed Bath & Beyond, BlackBerry and others.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GME | GAMESTOP CORP. | 27.27 | -1.78 | -6.13% |
| AMC | AMC ENTERTAINMENT | 5.04 | +0.09 | +1.82% |
| BBBY | NO DATA AVAILABLE | - | - | - |
| BB | BLACKBERRY LTD. | 2.56 | -0.01 | -0.39% |
"This week has included some of the highest-volume days in market history, driven in part by market volatility, short-selling activity, and heightened trading activity," Jonathan Craig, senior executive vice president of investor services, said in an emailed statement.
He continued: "We know, over the long term, what’s most important is to rely on traditional disciplines around asset allocation and diversification, tune out the noise to the extent possible, and stick to your long-term goals."
GAMESTOP STOCK PRICE FRENZY: WHAT TO KNOW
Craig added that a surge in trading activity across the industry has "led to significant call volumes and hold times, as well as challenges with online functionality at market open for some clients."
A man wearing a face mask walks past a Charles Schwab sales office near Grand Central Terminal. (Photo by John Lamparski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A message on the Charles Schwab mobile app on Friday notified users of "technical issues" causing "some transfers and payments that were scheduled to post to accounts" on Friday to be "delayed."
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The company said it restricted transactions of certain securities "in the interest of helping to reduce risk due to recent market volatility" as investors, spurred by the online Reddit forum WallStreetBets, piled into stocks like GameStop, Bed Bath & Beyond, BlackBerry and Nokia. TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab adjusted margin requirements on select stocks to ensure its customers had enough assets to purchase stocks.
Robinhood this week restricted trading of eight different equities, which expanded to 50 on Friday, according to investment news website Investorplace.com.
The Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade and Robinhood apps also experienced outages Wednesday as early-morning market chaos ensued.