In the context of financial markets, a fat finger error is specifically an instance where the details of a buy or sell order are mistakenly entered by a trader.
[1][2][3] Automated systems within trading houses may catch fat-finger errors before they reach the market or such orders may be cancelled before they can be fulfilled.
Fat-finger errors are a product of the electronic processing of orders which requires details to be input using keyboards.
At the NYSE, BATS, CBOT, NASDAQ, OMX and American Stock Exchange requests for review must be received "within thirty (30) minutes of execution time".
[8] At the Singapore Exchange, "the matter must be referred to SGX-ST within sixty (60) minutes from the time the error trade occurred".