A Stock Trader's Guide To UK And Global Market Hours
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The London Stock Exchange in the UK is open from 8AM to 4:30PM GMT. During British Summertime, from the end of March to the end of October, UK time is GMT+1, so for traders in some countries the opening hours change. There is a break from 12PM to 12:02PM, pre-market hours are 5:05 to 7:50 AM GMT, and after-hours trading takes place from 4:40 PM to 5:15PM.
| Stock Exchange, City | Trading Hours (UK Time) | Stock Index |
|---|---|---|
|
London Stock Exchange |
8AM to 4:30PM, break from 12:00 to 12:02PM. |
FTSE 100, FTSE 250 |
|
New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ |
2:30PM to 9PM most of year |
|
|
Tokyo Stock Exchange |
12AM to 6AM, lunch break 2:30AM to 3:30AM. |
Nikkei 225 |
|
Shanghai Stock Exchange |
1:30 AM to 7AM, lunch break 3:30 AM to 5AM. |
SSE Composite Index |
|
Euronext |
8AM to 4:30 PM, no break |
AEX (Amsterdam), CAC 40 (Paris) |
Unlike Forex or cryptocurrencies, stock exchanges have limited hours for traders to buy and sell stocks. If you’re a stock trader in the UK, chances are you’ll be trading during the opening hours of the UK’s stock exchanges, making it crucial to know what those hours are. If you’re based in the UK but trading on other major stock exchanges across the world, it’s also important to know what hours they open, and how those hours translate to UK time.
In this article, we explain in detail the stock market trading hours in the UK, extended hours trading times, and the opening hours of stock markets outside the UK.
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What is FTSE and LSE?
LSE stands for the London Stock Exchange, and is a prominent global stock exchange located in the UK. The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, called FTSE or FTSE100, is an index of shares comprised of 100 companies with the highest market capitalization listed on the LSE. FTSE indices serve as benchmarks for the UK stock market, offering insights into overall market trends.
What are the trading hours in the UK?
If you’re wondering “Is the stock market open today in the UK?”, we’ve got you covered.
The London Stock Exchange (LSE) typically operates from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM local UK time, for a total of 8 hours and 30 minutes per day. There’s no lunch break (no time to eat for the money-hungry!) though the exchange does close for two minutes from noon until 12:02 PM, a measure introduced in 2014 to protect institutional traders from high-frequency traders. The market operates< normally from Monday to Friday, except for certain holidays and special events, listed below.
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Good Friday: The market is closed for Good Friday, which is 29th March for 2024. This day is always the last Friday before Easter Sunday, so it changes annually. Easter Sunday is always the first Sunday after the Spring Equinox full moon.
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Easter Monday: The LSE is closed on the first Monday after Easter Sunday, which in 2024 is 1st April.
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Early May Bank Holiday: On the first Monday of May each year, the UK has a bank holiday, meaning markets are closed. In 2024, it’s 6th May.
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Spring Bank Holiday: The stock exchange is closed all day on this national bank holiday, which falls on 27th May in 2024. This is always on the seventh Monday after Easter, one day after Pentecost (a religious day) so the date changes each year.
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Summer Bank Holiday: The markets close for this summer day off, which is always the last Monday in August, falling on 26th August in 2024.
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Christmas Eve: On 24th December, markets close at 12:30PM for Christmas.
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Christmas Day: On 25th December, the market is closed all day for Christmas.
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Boxing Day: Markets are closed all day on 26th December for a bank holiday.
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New Year's Eve: On 31st December, the LSE closes at 12:30 PM for New Year’s.
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New Year’s Day: Exchanges are closed on 1st January, for the New Year.
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Additional: Extraordinary circumstances or events can lead the LSE to close for the day, such as for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday 19th September 2022.
The times listed above use Greenwich Meridian Time (GMT), though this changes to GMT+1 during British Summer Time. If you’re a trader outside the UK trading UK stocks, be aware of clocks going forward an hour from March 31st to October 31st.
The FTSE 100 index, representing the UK stock market's top 100 companies, follows these trading hours. As all stocks on the FTSE 100 are listed on the London Stock Exchange, its opening hours are identical to the London Stock Exchange.
However, trading derivatives such as futures based on the FTSE 100 can be done outside of stock market hours, from 1AM to 9PM, Monday to Friday, UK time. Some brokers offer trading on FTSE 100 CFDs from Sunday night to Friday night.
Hourly chart of CFD on the British stock index FTSE
If you want to trade during extended hours in markets derived from the FTSE UK stock index, there are available ways to do so. The chart above shows the price dynamics of such an instrument, with green colouring the areas when the London stock market is open.
To see the best CFD brokers in the UK, go to our rankings page: Top 10 Best CFD Brokers in the UK 2024
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Extended and after-hours trading in the UK
In other countries, like the US, traders can engage in stock trading outside of traditional market hours, in pre-market and after-hours trading sessions. However, this practice is not nearly as prevalent in the UK. The London Stock Exchange offers some extended hours trading. The Pre-Trading Session runs from 5:05 AM local time to 7:50 AM, and the Post-Close Session (after-market) is from 4:40 PM to 5:15PM UK time.
Extended hours trading is done through companies that operate systems similar to exchanges. In the US, where extended hours trading is popular, these systems are called electronic communication networks (ECNs) or alternative trading systems (ATS). Due to European regulations, the systems used are multilateral trading facilities (MTFs). Though the names are different, they all essentially act as virtual trading floors for people wanting to buy and sell stocks outside of normal market hours.
After hours trading usually incurs higher costs and is not offered by all brokers, because accessing the trading systems requires different technology to the standard stock exchange. Spreads are also usually wider as less traders are participating in pre-market or after-market trading hours.
Synchronizing with global markets: A UK perspective
If you’re a trader based in the UK, it’s useful to know the opening hours of not only the UK stock market, but those of major stock markets in other countries too. You may want to trade stocks listed on foreign stock exchanges, such as in the US, Europe, or Japan, and even if you don’t – traders in other countries may engage with the UK stock market during their own active hours, potentially impacting volatility and liquidity.
Let’s say you wanted to trade on some of the biggest exchanges in the world, buying and selling US stocks, Japanese stocks, European stocks, and Chinese stocks on top of UK stocks. You would need to be aware of their opening times, in UK time. Those times are as follows.
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Japan: In Japanese local time, the Tokyo Stock Exchange opens at 9AM and shuts at 3PM, with a lunch break from 11:30AM to 12:30PM. In UK time, this is from 12AM (midnight) to 6AM, or during British Summer Time, 1AM to 7AM.
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China: The Shanghai Stock Exchange, the third largest stock exchange in the world, is open from 9:30AM to 3PM local time, with lunch from 11:30AM to 1PM. In UK time, this is 1:30 AM to 7AM. During British Summer Time, that’s 2:30 AM to 8AM.
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Europe: Europe’s stock exchange, the Euronext, is the world’s fourth largest. It opens from 9AM to 5:30PM, and has no lunch break. If you’re in the UK, that’s 8 AM to 4:30 PM. The UK and most of Europe share the same dates for summertime, so British Summer Time isn’t an issue here.
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USA: The world’s two largest stock exchanges, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ, both open at 9:30 AM local time, and close at 4PM, with no lunch break. In the UK, this translates to 2:30 PM to 9 PM. British Summer Time and the US Daylight Savings Time are not aligned however, so from the 10th March to 31st March, and October 31st to November 4th, the NYSE and NASDAQ are open 1:30 PM to 8 PM in UK time.
As the US stock market opens during the opening hours of the London Stock Exchange, there is an overlap for traders’ active hours. US stock traders are likely to trade UK stocks after about 1PM UK time, leading to some increased volatility. Likewise, UK traders and others from around the world would begin trading US stocks when the NYSE and NASDAQ open, at 2:30PM.
If you’re looking for the best stock brokers in the UK this year, check out our list of the five best ones, here: Best Stock Brokers In the UK for 2024 - TOP 5
Conclusion
Regardless of whether you’re a trader based in the UK or elsewhere in the world, staying informed about global market hours is crucial for implementing and maintaining an effective trading strategy. Throughout the day, traders in various locations will be more active or inactive, affecting the ease with which you can enter and exit positions. Make sure you know the opening hours of major financial exchanges in different countries so that you can time your trades optimally.
Team that worked on the article
Jason Law is a freelance writer and journalist and a Traders Union website contributor. While his main areas of expertise are currently finance and investing, he’s also a generalist writer covering news, current events, and travel.
Jason’s experience includes being an editor for South24 News and writing for the Vietnam Times newspaper. He is also an avid investor and an active stock and cryptocurrency trader with several years of experience.
Dr. BJ Johnson is a PhD in English Language and an editor with over 15 years of experience. He earned his degree in English Language in the U.S and the UK. In 2020, Dr. Johnson joined the Traders Union team. Since then, he has created over 100 exclusive articles and edited over 300 articles of other authors.
The topics he covers include trading signals, cryptocurrencies, Forex brokers, stock brokers, expert advisors, binary options. He has also worked on the ratings of brokers and many other materials.
Dr. BJ Johnson’s motto: It always seems impossible until it’s done. You can do it.
Mirjan Hipolito is a journalist and news editor at Traders Union. She is an expert crypto writer with five years of experience in the financial markets. Her specialties are daily market news, price predictions, and Initial Coin Offerings (ICO). Mirjan is a cryptocurrency and stock trader. This deep understanding of the finance sector allows her to create informative and engaging content that helps readers easily navigate the complexities of the crypto world.