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Dow Jones technical error spreads fake news story of Google acquiring Apple
9 to 5 Mac ^ | October 10, 2017 | By Benjamin Mayo

Posted on 10/10/2017 6:42:36 PM PDT by Swordmaker


The Dow Jones newswires had a ‘technical error’ which caused the portal to report several spurious stories including several headlines claiming Google was acquiring Apple for $9 billion, and that the deal was pre-arranged with Steve Jobs in his will.

Obviously, every element of the story is made up, but it’s pretty funny to see the temporal blip on Apple’s stock price, which briefly spiked up to $158. The fake stories have now been removed by DJ.

Whilst the contents of the story make it obvious that the news is completely fake, the existence of real-time high-speed trading means the jump to $158 was almost certainly caused by automatic computer algorithms rather than real people.

The erroneous headlines included news that Google employees would take over the Apple headquarters, receive 9 Apple shares for every Google stock owned and that the deal was set to close tomorrow.

The stock jump was quickly corrected in the following minutes. $AAPL is back to typical levels, around $156.

Update: Dow Jones provided the following statement on the matter.

“Please disregard the headlines that ran on Dow Jones Newswires between 9:34 a.m. ET and 9:36 a.m. ET.  Due to a technical error, the headlines were published. All of those headlines are being removed from the wires. We apologize for the error.”


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Humor
KEYWORDS: applepinglist; dowjones; google
$9 billion to acquire an $805 billion company? That would have been the bargain of the millennium!
1 posted on 10/10/2017 6:42:37 PM PDT by Swordmaker
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To: Swordmaker

So, who wrote the stories and who profited? How much money changed hands over this? Bet there is more to this, like was this inside job or did they get hacked?


2 posted on 10/10/2017 6:47:14 PM PDT by Reno89519 (PRESIDENT TRUMP, KEEP YOUR PROMISES! NO AMNESTY AND BUILD THAT WALL.)
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To: Swordmaker

Humorous, thanks for the post.


3 posted on 10/10/2017 6:49:58 PM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: Swordmaker

Nice Lamborghini..! Will ya take uh...$5,000 for it..?

$5,000...?! Hot-diggity, HERE are the keys..!


Plausible..?

Eh...NO.


4 posted on 10/10/2017 6:51:22 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: dayglored; ~Kim4VRWC's~; 1234; 5thGenTexan; AbolishCSEU; Abundy; Action-America; acoulterfan; ...
Dow Jones Wire News this morning sent out a FakeNews™ headline story this morning that Google (sic) was going to buy Apple for $9 Billion in stock. The FakeNews™, was one of nine obviously false news stories inserted into the Dow's news feed between 9:34 AM and 9:36 ET this morning. The fake stories were most likely the work of hackers and were quickly disavowed and removed by DowJones. — PING!


Apple FakeNews™
Ping!

The latest Apple/Mac/iOS Pings can be found by searching Keyword "ApplePingList" on FreeRepublic's Search.

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me

5 posted on 10/10/2017 6:52:20 PM PDT by Swordmaker (My pistol self-identifies as an iPad, so you must accept it in gun-free zones, you racist, bigot!)
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To: Swordmaker

Millennial idiots never heard of anti-trust. Even the 0Bozox Dept of Justice would not have given approval for such a merger.


6 posted on 10/10/2017 6:53:57 PM PDT by dennisw (Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it is enemy action.)
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To: Swordmaker
Maybe in 1996, $9b would have been enough to acquire Apple.

If only I could go back in time with $10,000 to invest.

7 posted on 10/10/2017 6:55:06 PM PDT by SamAdams76
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To: Reno89519
So, who wrote the stories and who profited? How much money changed hands over this? Bet there is more to this, like was this inside job or did they get hacked?

DowJones claims it was hackers, but only in the name of their linked article; cause is deemphasized in the actual article. Likely their legal department doesn't want any hint they aren't secure.

There were apparently nine fake stories inserted into the DJ news feed of which this was one. I'd be looking at whoever sold a large lot of AAPL at the suddenly jumped price when it went up by $2 on this "news."

8 posted on 10/10/2017 6:59:31 PM PDT by Swordmaker (My pistol self-identifies as an iPad, so you must accept it in gun-free zones, you racist, bigot!)
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To: Reno89519
Back in the 2000 presidential race, a headline story ran that Al Gore had eaten a baby's arm in Austin and a few other “humorous” items.

Turns out that one of my sons’ friends was in IT at WFAA Channel 8 in Dallas, and was trying to teach a new (blonde) on-air talent how their equipment worked for emergency alerts and station generated news.

All was well and good until she clicked “Send” on the practice stories - and out it went into the ether for all ABC TV stations to read ...

So who was fired by WFAA Channel 8 in Dallas, the new on-air talent who looked good, or the young IT geek that actually kept everything running at the station?

As if you has to guess!

9 posted on 10/10/2017 7:01:37 PM PDT by texas booster (Join FreeRepublic's Folding@Home team (Team # 36120) Cure Alzheimer's!)
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To: texas booster

Apple should purchase ATT.


10 posted on 10/10/2017 7:06:15 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
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