When Does the ASX Open?

When does the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) open and how does the opening auction work?

The Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) opens in several phases each trading day. These are Sydney times:

7am-10am Pre-open
10am* Open. The open lasts approx. 10 minutes. Securities open in five groups, according to the starting letter of their ASX code. See Groups below.
10am­-4pm Normal Trading
4pm-4:10pm Pre CSPA (Closing Single Price Auction)
4:10pm*-4:12pm Closing Single Price Auction

*Random +/- 15 secs

Group 1 10:00:00 am +/- 15 secs A-B, e.g. ANZ, BHP
Group 2 10:02:15 am +/- 15 secs C-F, e.g. CPU, DVT, ECP, FXJ
Group 3 10:04:30 am +/- 15 secs G-M, e.g. GHP, KYC, LIB
Group 4 10:06:45 am +/- 15 secs N-R, e.g. QAN
Group 5 10:09:00 am +/- 15 secs S-Z, e.g. TLS

During pre-opening phase investors may enter orders online and orders are queued according to price-time priority and will not trade until the market opens.

Between 4:00 pm and 4:10 pm, Sydney time, the market is placed in Pre-CSPA. Trading stops and brokers enter, change and cancel orders in preparation for the market closing.

The Closing Single Price Auction takes place between 4:10*pm and 4:12 pm, Sydney time. During this time the closing prices for stocks are calculated.

*Random +60 seconds

The Chartist strategies can all be implemented overnight, prior to the market opening. When you place orders with your broker overnight, your orders sit on the broker’s server until they connect with the ASX during the opening phase. Your orders are dropped into the market at this stage.

For more information please visit the ASX website.