TOKYO – The Tokyo Stock Exchange on Monday began to implement a 30 minute extension to its trading morning in the hope of revitalising activity amid intensifying global competition to lure investors.
The TSE said its morning trading session for stocks, which opens at 9 am (0000 GMT), will run to 11:30 am instead of the previous 11 am. The afternoon trading session, from 12:30 pm to 3 pm, remains unchanged.
The plan to give market players more trading time was due to begin in May but was put on hold due to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and expectations of summer power shortages caused by the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
The 30 minute morning extension also applies to the Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sapporo bourses.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange, the biggest stock exchange in Japan, is currently in talks about a possible merger with the Osaka exchange, which serves as the nation’s largest market for derivatives trading, amid growing competition with overseas bourses.