熔断机制(Circuit Breaker)以人为地设置价格限制(price limits)和中断交易(trading halts)为手段,控制并减缓单个证券(individual securities)或整个市场(market as a whole)在交易日内(during a trading day)或短时间内(比方,within a 5-minute period)的巨幅波动或暴涨暴跌(sharp price movements)。这个定义应该基本涵盖了“熔断机制”的最关键的构成要件,较容易理解。