Australian stock market hours: when is the best time of day to trade shares?

What are the stock market trading hours?

Stock market trading hours vary by exchange and geographical location. Australian exchanges such as the ASX are open from 10:00 to 16:00 AEST.

Most share trading hours will run from Monday to Friday, five days a week. There are no regular trading hours for stocks on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. So, if you see news about stocks being up or down over the weekend, it’s most likely stock futures.

While these are the ‘normal’ trading hours for shares, there is also activity outside of this session. Most stock exchanges will offer pre-market and post-market trading, Monday to Friday.

Global stock market opening times

Take a look at the stock market opening and closing times for different regions all over the world:

The table above lists the hours in which an exchange will be open in each area. Please note that times may vary depending on the country within a region.

You can find the hours for each individual share in the market hours section of each asset’s ‘Market 360’ in our platform. To see the trading hours for any share without committing any capital, open a free City Index demo account.

Or, if you’re ready to start trading shares, you can open an account today to get started.

When does the Australian stock market open?

The Australian stock market is open from 10:00 until 16:00 Monday to Friday AEST but can vary by exchange. There are three main stock exchanges in the region:

1. Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)
2. National Stock Exchange of Australia (NSX)
3. Cboe (formally Chi-X Australia)

ASX trading hours

The ASX market is open from 10:00 to 16:00 (AEST) on ASX business days (Monday to Friday). These are the exchanges ‘normal trading’ hours, during which brokers can enter orders and place trades continually.

ASX holiday hours

The ASX holiday hours vary, so it’s important to check the exchange’s website. Typically, the ASX is closed for most nationally recognised holidays, including New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

But the ASX is open on the last business day before Christmas and the final business day of the year.

National Stock Exchange of Australia (NSX) trading hours

The National Stock Exchange of Australia is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 to 16:00 (AEST). It does not close for lunch, so trading runs for the full 6 hours.

The NSX observes the same market holidays as the ASX, which includes New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter, Anzac Day, Christmas and Boxing Day.

Cboe (Chi-X) trading hours

The Cboe is an ASIC-regulated exchange for Australian shares. The Cboe trades continuously between 10:00 to 16:13 (AEST) from Monday to Friday.

The Cboe exchange observes the same market holidays as the ASX, which includes New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter, Anzac Day, Christmas and Boxing Day.

New Zealand Exchange trading hours

The New Zealand Exchange (NZX) is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 to 16:45 NZDT – that’s 07:00 to 13:45 AEST. These are the exchanges ‘normal trading’ hours, during which brokers can enter orders and place trades continually.

The NZX does not close for lunch, so it’s open for a total of 6 hours 45 minutes per day.

New Zealand Stock Exchange holiday hours

The New Zealand Stock Exchange is closed for all major holidays, including New Year’s Day, National Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Anzac Day, Labor Day, Christmas and Boxing Day. For a full list of NZX holiday hours, see the exchange’s website.

When do US stock exchanges open in Australian time?

The NYSE and the NASDAQ are the two largest American exchanges, both located in New York City. Their regular stock trading hours are Monday to Friday 09:30 to 16:30 EST – that’s 12:30 to 07:30 Australian time (AEST).

Let’s run through the different exchanges and their regional Australian opening times.

When’s the best time to trade US stocks?

The best time to trade US stocks in Australian time zones is when there’s the most liquidity, and this tends to be at the opening and closing bells. US exchanges do not close for lunch, but there is typically less trading in the middle of the session.

The US session is shorter than other global trading hours, totalling just 6 hours and 30 minutes. This shorter window of trading can lead to less volatility, as more news occurs while the market is shut, giving everyone time to digest the information before they make a trade.

That’s why a lot of traders make use of extended trading hours. These enable you to open and close positions outside of the regular session to take advantage of any volatility from news and earnings releases.

Find out about extended trading hours on US stocks

What are the London Stock Exchange opening hours in Australian time?

The London Stock Exchange opens at 08:00 and closes at 16:30 GMT Monday to Friday – that’s 18:00 to 02:30 Australia time (AEST). 

The London Stock Exchange does not close for lunch, unlike markets in Asia which close for an hour. But it does have a trading break from 12:00 to 12:02 GMT (22:00 to 22:02 AEST).

The London stock market hours are some of the longest in the world – with a total of 8 hours and 28 minutes of trading time. Most other exchanges are only open for between 5 and 7 hours. These longer hours mean there is likely to be more volatility, as more news occurs within the time that the market is open, giving traders and investors time to adjust positions.

London Stock Exchange holiday hours

The London Stock Exchange is closed for most major holidays – such as Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday and Easter – as well as bank holidays.

Throughout the year the LSE will also have irregular schedules and half days, so it’s important to check the exchange’s website for more information.

What are the European stock market opening hours in Australian time?

The European stock market is open for the longest period of all regions as it’s home to a vast number of exchanges. The Euronext is the largest, which represents a number of markets such as Amsterdam, Paris, Lisbon and Brussels.

The Euronext exchange doesn’t close for lunch and isn’t open on weekends. Just like the UK stock exchange hours, Euronext is open for much longer than normal hours – totalling 8 hours and 30 minutes of trading time.

Although not part of the Euronext group, the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Borse are European exchanges too, so you’ll see them grouped into the stock hours.

What are the Asian stock market’s opening hours in Australian time?

Asian stock market hours fall into the early shift of global market trading. In a lot of Asian countries, lunch breaks are common practice – so it’s important to know when trading will stop and restart. There is typically less liquidity anyway during the middle of the day, as most volume is found at the start and end of the session.

In some other Asian countries, such as India and South Korea, lunch breaks were banned in order to encourage more market activity.

Most Asian trading hours are only between 4 hours and 6 hours and 30 minutes long. These shorter trading sessions see much less activity than other global sessions.

South American stock market hours

The hours differ slightly for some South American Exchanges, as although they largely overlap with the larger North American markets, they start and finish at slightly different times.

Unlike its North American counterparts, the Brazil Stock Exchange is open for longer than most global markets – with a total of 7 hours and 55 minutes. This means the exchange sees far more volatility than others as news is digested throughout the trading day.

What is the best time to trade shares in Australia?

The best time to trade shares is around major news and events, as this is when there is likely to be the most liquidity on the market. Liquidity makes it easier to enter and exit positions, and usually leads to tighter spreads.

Market moving events can change from country to country, exchange to exchange, and stock to stock. This makes it important to understand all the factors that could move a share’s price before you take a position.

Examples of events to watch out for include:

• Company earnings
• Macroeconomic indicators
• Political announcements and policy changes

Power hour stock market

Power hour is the time just before a market closes, and when a lot of share traders will look to buy and sell stocks. It tends to see a lot of volatility and liquidity as market participants adjust their positions before the market shuts.

While power hour will depend on each stock exchange’s opening hours, the global power hour is generally considered to be between 15:00 and 16:00 EST when the US stock market is winding down – that’s 06:00 to 07:00 AEST.

Learn more about end-of-day trading