World stock market trading hours: a user guide

Why world stock market trading hours are important

World stock market trading hours are important to understand for indices and shares CFD traders. The opening hours of individual exchanges are your window to execute trades, respond to market changes, and manage your portfolio throughout the day. Therefore, strong planning and decision-making depends on an awareness of world stock market trading hours.

Some exchanges pause trading for a lunch break, which enables system maintenance, administrative tasks, and mitigates against excessive volatility. This break allows traders to reflect on positions and prepare for the second half of the trading day. However, other exchanges operate continuously without a break, meaning it’s important to stay aware of potential market shifts throughout the entire session.

All times shown in the piece are in the Australian AEST & AEDT timezone.

What time does the UK stock market open?

The UK stock market (London Stock Exchange) opens at 5:00pm (AEST, UTC+10) and closes at 1:30am AEST, with no lunch break, impacting the UK 100 index.

During Australian summer, this corresponds to 6:00pm to 2:30am Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT, UTC+11).

What time does the US stock market open?

The US stock market (New York Stock Exchange) opens at 11:30pm (AEST, UTC+10) and closes at 6:00am AEST, with no lunch break, impacting the Dow Jones (US Wall Street 30), and S&P 500 (US 500).

During Australian summer, this corresponds to 12:30am to 7:00am (AEDT, UTC+11).

What time do Asian markets open?

Asian markets open and close at different times depending on the exchange. The Japan Exchange Group, from which the Nikkei 225 (Japan 225) is compiled, opens at 10:00am (AEST, UTC+10) and closes at 4:00pm AEST. During Australian summer, this corresponds to 11:00am to 5:00pm (AEDT, UTC+11).

The Shanghai Stock Exchange, covering the SSE Composite (China A50), opens at 11:30am AEST and closes at 5:00pm AEST, or 12:30pm to 6:00pm AEDT in summer.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, from which the Hang Seng (Hong Kong 50) is compiled, also opens at 11:30am AEST and closes at 6:00pm AEST, or 12:30pm to 7:00pm AEDT in summer.

All of these exchanges include a lunch break (see below table for details).

What time do European markets open?

European markets mostly open and close at the same times. The Euronext Paris, from which the CAC 40 (France 40) and the AEX (Netherlands 25) are compiled, opens at 5:00pm (AEST, UTC+10) and closes at 1:30am AEST. During Australian summer, this corresponds to 6:00pm to 2:30am (AEDT, UTC+11).  The Frankfurt Stock Exchange, from which the DAX 40 (Germany 40) is compiled, the Bolsa de Madrid, for the Ibex 35 (Spain 35), and the Borsa Italiana (Italian Stock Exchange) for the Italy 40, share the same hours.

What time do Australasian markets open?

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), from which the ASX 200 (Australia 200) is compiled, opens at 9:00am (AEST, UTC+10) and closes at 3:00pm AEST. During Australian summer, this corresponds to 10:00am to 4:00pm (AEDT, UTC+11).

The New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX), which lists the New Zealand 50, opens at 7:00am AEST and closes at 1:45pm AEST. In Australian summer, this equals 8:00am to 2:45pm AEDT.

What are the major exchange opening and closing times?

Here is a complete list of the major stock exchange opening and closing times to be aware of, showing the exchange as well as the related indices we offer, with the specific Capital.com market to look for in brackets.

*Nasdaq® is a trademark of Nasdaq Inc. The information provided herein is for informative purposes only.

What is after-hours trading?

After-hours trading, also known as extended hours trading, refers to the period that shares and indices can be traded outside of the regular hours of the exchange to which they relate. Therefore, after-hours trading enables you to react to news and events that occur outside of the regular session. However, if you’re planning to trade after the markets have closed, it’s important to factor into your trading plan that overall volume can vary significantly compared to regular hours, potentially meaning lower liquidity and higher volatility.

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