Imagine waking up tomorrow and everyone decides to sell their stocks. The question is not how many people mash SELL. It is: who would buy them?
A stock trade is a handshake. You cannot sell unless someone is willing to buy. Prices fall because sellers accept a lower handshake — not because a crash button exists. The factory can still sell burgers while the ticket panics. Pensions, families, and later funding still feel it.
U.S. markets have a whistle: market-wide circuit breakers at 7%, 13%, and 20% on the S&P 500 versus the prior close. “Everyone sells” is a cartoon. For every executed sale there is a buyer. Homework is naming the other side of the handshake. Not a sell button.
Not financial advice. Educational and entertainment only.
Sources
Investopedia — primary vs secondary market
NYSE Market-Wide Circuit Breakers FAQ — 7% / 13% / 20%
Nasdaq Trader MWCB FAQ
SEC materials on NYSE Rule 7.12
Music
Background: "Running Out Of Time" (Mixkit, royalty-free).