With the holiday season nearly upon us (or perhaps already begun for some lucky folks out there), many investors might be wondering just how they can trade the markets over the holiday period. As the saying goes, 'money never sleeps', but the share market certainly does. That's why most of us can only buy or sell our ASX shares between 10 am and 4 pm, Monday to Friday.
But trading during the Christmas period is definitely not a dead rubber. Those of you readers that have been investing long enough might remember the 'taper tantrum' market correction that we saw back in 2018. Well, that saw the ASX 200 fall around 14% between October and late December. And the markets found their low point just around Christmas time, offering up a slew of festive bargains for those of us who could pry ourselves away from the Christmas Even ham. So sometimes it can pay to keep an eye on the markets over the holiday season!
So when exactly will we be able to buy and sell shares over the next week or two?
ASX share market to close for Christmas, New Years
Well, the ASX tells us that the first adjustment to expect is a shortening of trading hours on Christmas Eve (this Friday). Instead of the normal closing time of 4 pm, the ASX markets will instead close at 2 pm. So make sure you get any planned buys or sells done before that time if you don't want to miss out.
After that, the ASX will be closed completely on Monday 27 December to account for Christmas Day being on a Saturday. It will also be closed on 28 December for Boxing Day.
Trading will then resume on 29 December and will go as normal until 31 December. But New Year's Eve will also have a shorter trading day, with the markets again closing early at 2 pm.
Following that, the share market will again close completely for New Year's Day on Monday 3 January, with normal trading to resume on Tuesday 4 January.
Remember, the good people at ASX Ltd (ASX: ASX) need a holiday too. So keep these dates in mind if you are planning some last-minute trades for the 2021 calendar year.
