Trading hours: The clock runs longest in Singapore, shortest in China

Stock exchange in Singapore is open for trading from 9 am to 5 pm. With no lunch breaks, the market in Asia’s financial hub is open for eight hours, the longest among Asia’s major markets. 

Meanwhile, the shortest trading hours are at Shanghai, China, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Despite short timings, Shanghai is mulling lunch breaks. The bourse had scrapped the break in 2011, a year when the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing shortened their lunch hours. The Indian markets are open for trading for 6.5 hours between 9 am to 3:30 pm. 

In 2009, domestic bourses had extended trading by about an hour. Before that, markets used to open at 9:55 a.m. At present, between 9 and 9:15 am, markets conduct pre-open call auction session and the actual trading starts from 9:15 am. The so-called pre-open call auction session is aimed at better price discovery and reducing volatility.