Hong Kong Stock Exchange Chen Yiting: Whether the spot market trading hours are extended or not needs to be considered more carefully

The Zhitong Finance App learned that Hong Kong Stock Exchange (00388) CEO Chen Yiting said that the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has always sought to make it easier for investors to participate in the market and believes that the primary focus should be on extending the trading time of the derivatives market. As to whether to extend the trading time of the spot market, more detailed consideration is needed. The main thing is that there are many investors involved, including local and mainland retail investors and institutional investors. There are differences in the trading habits and needs of various types of investors. They will first communicate closely with all parties in the market, and will be announced separately when discussions are mature.

Chen Yiting pointed out that the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has every ability to extend the trading period. Currently, the derivatives market mainly involves institutional investors. The trading period operates until 3 a.m. the next day. Investors during the American session have a clear demand to extend the trading period by two hours, and will prioritize relevant adjustments. She explained that extending the trading period will better connect with the North American market and increase the participation of local institutional investors.

In the first half of the year, the average daily turnover of the Hong Kong spot market rose 18% year on year to HK$283 billion, a half-year high. Hong Kong Stock Connect accounted for 22% of market turnover. Chen Yiting said that in the future, liquidity in the primary and secondary markets should be strengthened simultaneously. She believes that a prosperous IPO market will help bring in new investors and increase the allocation of Hong Kong stocks.