- What is the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)?
- When was the ASX established and where is it based?
- When does the ASX share market open?
- On which days is the ASX share market closed for trading?
- State by state: What are the ASX opening hours?
- How to buy stocks on the Australian Securities Exchange
- How many companies are listed on the ASX?
- How does the ASX make money?
- Should you invest in the ASX?
The ASX is the operator of Australia's major share market. The opening hours for normal trading on the ASX share market are 10am to 4pm Australian eastern standard time (AEST).
What is the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)?
The ASX is known to most investors 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, offering a range of services to corporations and wholesale and retail investors. For corporates, 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 like 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.
Time | Share market phase |
7am-10am | Pre-open |
10am-4pm | Normal trading |
4pm-4:10pm | Pre-closing single price auction (CSPA) |
4.10pm-4.12pm | Closing single price auction |
4.12pm-4.42pm | Adjust |
4.42pm-6.50pm | Adjust ON |
6.50pm-6.59pm | Purge orders |
6.59pm-7pm | System maintenance |
7pm-8.40pm | Closed |
8.40pm-2.25am | System unavailable |
2.25am-7am | Closed |
- 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.
In New South Wales: 10am – 4pm
In Victoria: 10am – 4pm
In South Australia: 9.30am – 3.30pm
In the Northern Territory: 9.30am – 3.30pm; 8.30am – 2.30pm during daylight savings
In Western Australia: 8am – 2pm; 7am – 1pm during daylight savings
In Tasmania: 10am – 4pm
In Queensland: 10am – 4pm; 9am – 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 the end of October 2022, there are 2,143 equity issuers listed on the ASX, of which 158 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 FY22 results, ASX Ltd (ASX: ASX) reported operating revenues of more than $1 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 past decade, its share price has more than doubled.
However, the ASX share price has been more volatile in recent years, as the COVID-19 pandemic, then the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and now global recession fears 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 happening regularly. So just bear that in mind if you're thinking of investing in ASX Ltd.