Hong Kong faces pressure to speed up trading hours review after South Korea’s move

Hong Kong's stock market is facing pressure to expedite its review of extending trading hours following South Korea's move to launch an after-market session. South Korea’s Korea Exchange recently introduced a real-time after-market from 4pm to 8pm, in addition to its regular trading hours from 9am to 3.30pm. This extension has positioned South Korea’s main stock market to trade for nearly 10.5 hours on weekdays, nearly double Hong Kong’s trading hours of 5.5 hours from 9.30am to 4pm, including a one-hour lunch break.

While Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) separately mentioned their exploration of longer trading hours in July, no specifics were provided. Industry experts suggest that South Korea's move could prompt HKEX and SFC to speed up their consultation process. Kenny Ng, a strategist at Everbright Securities International, noted that South Korea's after-hours launch is part of a global trend of extending trading sessions and supports the case for Hong Kong to enhance market accessibility for global investors.

However, stockbrokers and lawmakers have expressed concerns about the practical challenges of longer trading hours, emphasizing the need for thorough consultation with stakeholders before making any changes.

Brief written by urgent.news from SCMP Business's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.