Should Hong Kong follow if London opts for 24-hour stock trading? City brokers are divided
The Orion Derivatives Platform developed by HKEX for roll-out in 2028 creates the capability to handle near 24-hour trading in derivatives
A media report overt the weekend saying the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) is considering 24-hour trading has raised questions about whether Hong Kong’s bourse could similarly lengthen its transaction hours to cater to a younger generation of trade-anytime investors.
The Orion Derivatives Platform (ODP), developed by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) for roll-out in 2028, would give Asia’s third-largest capital market the capability to “offer near 24-hour derivatives trading, introduce new products and provide enhanced efficiency,” the HKEX said in April last year.
The exchange has not disclosed any plans to change its trading hours, which currently run for 5.5 hours every weekday from 9.30am to 4.00pm, with a one-hour lunch break in between. That put Hong Kong in the middle among global markets: 4 hours in Shanghai and Shenzhen, 5 hours in Tokyo, 6.5 hours in the US and Canada, 8.5 hours in London, and 14 hours in Frankfurt.
“If HKEX expands its trading hours, it would help [boost] the market turnover and attract international investors,” said Kenny Ng Lai-yin, a strategist at Everbright Securities International. “But there will be a lot of investments needed by the exchange and the brokerage industry, [so] it needs a balance on whether to extend the trading window to 24 hours.”
HKEX declined to comment. The LSEG was weighing its options on whether to introduce 24-hour trading to meet growing demand from small investors, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing unidentified sources. LSEG declined to comment when asked by the Post.