What are the opening hours for the ASX share market?

The ASX operates Australia's major share market, which is open for normal trading from 10am to 4pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). Let's take a closer look at how it works.

What is the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)?

Most investors know the Australian Securities Exchange, or ASX, as the operator of Australia's major share market. However, it also operates the fixed-income market (bonds), commodities, and other financial markets. 

The ASX is an integrated exchange that offers a range of services to corporations and wholesale and retail investors. For corporations, these include facilitating initial public offerings (IPOs) and other listing services. For investors, the exchange supports the secondary market, performing clearing house activities like settling trades and facilitating payments.

The ASX also oversees the listing rules and coordinates with outside industry regulators, such as the Australian Securities and Exchange Commission (ASIC).

When was the ASX established, and where is it based?

The ASX, at least in its present form, was created out of the 2006 merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange. It is currently headquartered in Sydney.

Prior to the merger, the Australian Stock Exchange dated back to 1 April 1987. It was originally incorporated by federal legislation that merged the six individual state stock exchanges into one central national share market. 

The ASX is regularly included in lists of the world's largest stock markets, alongside other major exchanges like the London Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and the Toronto Stock Exchange. 

When does the ASX share market open? 

Normal trading on the ASX stock market begins at 10am every weekday.  

In addition to the normal trading session, there are a number of other 'phases' that the market goes through on each trading day.

• Pre-open: During the pre-open phase, brokers and other institutional investors may submit orders which are then placed in a queue. The ASX does not actually execute any orders until the market opens.

• Normal trading: During normal trading hours, the ASX automatically matches buy and sell orders with one another, resulting in trade activity. This is when the overwhelming majority of trades occur.

• Closing single price auction (CSPA): At the end of each trading day, the ASX uses the CSPA to arrive at a market consensus on the closing price for each share.

• Adjust and Adjust ON: During the adjust phases, brokers are able to amend or cancel unwanted orders, although new orders cannot be entered. However, brokers are able to trade with each other directly over the phone.

• Purge orders: At this point in the trading day, expired orders are removed from the system. Afterwards, system administrators conduct maintenance activities, including updating or adding new securities.

On which days is the ASX share market closed for trading?

 The ASX share market is closed on the following days every year:

• New Year's Day
• Australia Day
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• ANZAC Day
• King's Birthday
• Boxing Day
• Christmas Day.

State by state: What are the ASX opening hours?

These are the stock market hours for each state and territory in local time.

• New South Wales: 10am to 4pm
• Victoria: 10am to 4pm
• South Australia: 9.30am to 3.30pm
• Northern Territory: 9.30am to 3.30pm; 8.30am to 2.30pm during daylight savings
• Western Australia: 8am to 2pm; 7am to 1pm during daylight savings
• Tasmania: 10am to 4pm
• Queensland: 10am to 4pm; 9am to 3pm during daylight savings.

How to buy stocks on the Australian Securities Exchange

If you want to buy and sell shares on the ASX, you must do so through a stockbroker. A stockbroker is an individual or entity that has been granted a licence to buy and sell shares directly on the market.

You will need to set up a trading account with a broker through which your transactions will take place. The broker will charge you a fee, called brokerage, for executing trades on your behalf.

Most investors are accustomed to using online broker platforms, such as those offered by the major banks. However, investors are also increasingly turning to mobile trading applications and other platforms that offer cheaper brokerage costs.

How many companies are listed on the ASX?

As of December 2024, 2,252 companies are listed on the ASX¹, of which more than 280 are foreign entities. However, the number fluctuates over time and can be a good indicator of the strength of the national economy. 

During 2020, in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of equity issuers dropped to a little above 2,000. But since the middle of 2021, the number has been climbing steadily upwards again. 

How does the ASX make money?

As mentioned, the ASX is an integrated exchange, meaning it offers a wide range of services to issuers, traders, and other market participants. These include services to support new listings and capital raises, as well as clearing house and trade settlement services. 

It collects fees for all of these services – in fact, a lot of fees. In its full-year FY24 results, ASX Ltd (ASX: ASX) reported a record operating revenue of $1.03 billion.

The ASX also earns a reasonably significant amount of its revenues from the interest it earns on its own cash and the collateral it holds on behalf of market participants. 

Should you invest in the ASX?

ASX Ltd has proven itself to be a solid blue-chip share to own. It did particularly well during the long bull market that followed the 2008 global financial crisis. Over the following decade, its share price more than doubled. 

However, the ASX share price has been more volatile in recent years, as the COVID-19 pandemic, then the Russia-Ukraine and Middle East conflicts, global recession fears, and high inflation have all wreaked havoc on financial markets.

This shows that the ASX performs best when the economy is booming, companies are growing, and new listings are regularly occurring. That's something to bear in mind if you're thinking of investing in ASX Ltd.