The stock market is suddenly filled with big news! 24-hour transaction? This exchange makes a big move!

Source: Securities Times Online

The London Stock Exchange is considering extending stock trading hours!

Another stock exchange is considering extending stock trading hours. According to the UK's *Financial Times*, the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) is weighing whether to launch 24-hour trading to meet the growing demand from retail investors.

Previously, Nasdaq, the second-largest stock exchange in the United States, announced that it had applied to regulators to extend stock market trading hours to 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. In addition, the Indonesia Stock Exchange is also considering extending trading hours, aiming to provide greater flexibility for investors and improve market liquidity.

Let's look at the detailed report!

Is the London Stock Exchange considering launching 24-hour trading?

According to a report by the UK's *Financial Times* on July 20, people familiar with the matter revealed that the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) is studying the feasibility of extending trading hours, including the required technology and regulatory implications.

The report stated that a person familiar with the matter said that the London Stock Exchange Group is "really considering this matter, whether it is to implement 24-hour trading or extend the trading hours", and the group is conducting "important commercial, policy and regulatory discussions" on this "ongoing issue". Another person familiar with the matter said that this exploration is part of extensive discussions about potential new products and services.

The report pointed out that LSEG is considering various issues related to extending trading hours, including technological upgrades, regulatory issues, possible impacts on dual-listed companies, and potential impacts on liquidity.

According to the *Daily Telegraph*, under the radical plan of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), stocks of British listed companies can be traded 24 hours a day to meet the strong demand from "night owl" traders. The report said that LSEG, which owns London's flagship stock market, is accelerating plans to launch a 24-hour trading platform to enhance the attractiveness of the sluggish UK market and encourage overseas investors and young traders to buy British stocks.

The report said that in the United States, Generation Z retail investors are increasingly trading through smartphone applications outside working hours. This change in trading patterns has put traditional exchanges at risk. Cryptocurrency markets, such as Bitcoin trading, already operate around the clock. More and more people are trading stocks in the early morning on platforms like Robinhood, making traditional market hours increasingly outdated.

However, any move to extend trading hours is likely to face severe criticism from traditional fund managers, who use the closing prices of stocks to set the value of funds. Trillions of pounds depend on closing prices, and round-the-clock trading will make pricing more difficult, and fund managers may resist the move to monitor the market around the clock.

The *Daily Telegraph* said that the UK stock market is facing a crisis after shrinking trading volumes and a lack of new listings. The British government's recent tax raids and tariff issues have also weakened companies. According to data recently released by Ernst & Young, UK listed companies issued 59 profit warnings in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 20% compared with the same period last year.

Data recently released by financial data provider Dealogic shows that the amount of IPO financing in London fell to at least a 30-year low in the first half of this year, which has raised questions about the declining attractiveness of the UK as a global capital center. Data shows that in the first half of the year, only 5 companies completed listings on the London Stock Exchange, raising a total of 160 million pounds. This is the lowest level of IPO financing in the first half of the year since Dealogic began collecting data in 1995.

On July 10, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said that the number of IPOs on the London Stock Exchange is too small, and it is gradually losing its position as an important financing market.

Exchanges in many countries consider extending stock trading hours

In May this year, Indonesia's *Jakarta Globe* reported that the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) is considering extending trading hours to explore ways to increase market activity.

Indonesia Stock Exchange President Iman Rachman said that the plan to add a third daily trading session is still in the preliminary stage and will involve the opinions of market stakeholders. Iman Rachman said: "This is one of the areas we are reviewing, and we will discuss it with market participants."

The report said that the proposed proposal aims to provide greater flexibility for investors and improve liquidity without increasing the number of trading days. The Indonesia Stock Exchange has previously made gradual adjustments to its trading hours, extending the closing time from 3:00 pm Jakarta time to 4:00 pm. Iman Rachman said that any adjustment to trading hours must be strategic and based on a clear understanding of the target market. He said: "If we do decide to add a session, we need to know who our target customers are. We are still collecting opinions and conducting evaluations."

In March this year, Nasdaq, the second-largest stock exchange in the United States, announced that it had applied to regulators to implement 24-hour trading, 5 days a week. Nasdaq President Adena Friedman said that they have begun to engage with regulators, market participants and other major stakeholders, and it is expected to be implemented in the second half of 2026.

Friedman pointed out that investors around the world, especially in Asia, are increasingly interested in the US market, and extending trading hours is to better serve these customers. However, she also acknowledged that there are some obstacles, such as low liquidity during non-traditional trading hours. The application needs to be approved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission to proceed. Extending trading hours may also bring challenges to the financial services industry, including issues related to risk management, clearing monitoring, and ensuring sufficient liquidity.

In February this year, the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) announced that it plans to extend the trading hours of its stock exchanges to 24 hours a day, 5 days a week after obtaining regulatory approval.

In October last year, the New York Stock Exchange announced that it plans to extend the trading hours of its fully electronic exchange, NYSE Arca, to 22 hours per working day, which will be implemented after regulatory approval.

Also in October last year, the Tokyo Stock Exchange announced that it would extend trading hours by 30 minutes as planned from November 5 last year to improve market efficiency and competitiveness. It is understood that from November 5 last year, the closing time of the Tokyo Stock Exchange was extended from 3 pm local time to 3:30 pm. After this adjustment, the total daily trading hours of the Tokyo Stock Exchange reached 5.5 hours.

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