Google's share price plunged after its third- quarter earnings were released early by mistake.
The firm's financial printers, RR Donnelley, filed the draft results without authorisation and is now investigating how the error was made.
Google, which recently overtook Microsoft to become the second-largest US technology company after Apple, saw its stock fall $68.19 (£42.33), or 9%, to $687.30 before trading was halted on the Nasdaq exchange in New York.
It had been due to report after the close of trading.
The company earned $2.18 billion (£1.35bn), or $6.53 per share, during the three months ending in September. That compared with net income of $2.73bn, or $8.33 per share, last year.
The earnings would have been $9.03 per share, if not for Google's accounting costs for employee stock compensation and restructuring charges related to the troubled recent $12.5bn acquisition of mobile phone firm Motorola. Analysts were expecting $10.63 per share.
"The core business seems to have slowed down pretty significantly," said B Riley analyst Sameet Sinha.
"Search is happening more and more outside of Google, meaning people are searching more through apps than through Google."
The strong dollar appeared to contribute to Google's struggles. The firm said that if foreign exchange rates had been stable, its revenue would have been $136m higher.
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