ASX Trading Hours: When the Market Is Open

When does the ASX open and close? The exact trading hours, market phases, state-by-state times, public holidays and the best time of day to trade.

By Timothy Hirou GaschereauPublished August 11, 2026

8 min read

Explainer Beginner ETFs & shares

Whether you are placing your very first trade or you have invested for years, knowing exactly when the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) is open, and what happens at each point of the day, is one of those basics that pays to get right. The short version: normal trading runs 10:00am to 4:00pm Sydney time, Monday to Friday. The useful detail is in the phases around it.

🎯 The essential: The ASX trades Monday to Friday, 10:00am to 4:00pm Sydney time, and is closed on weekends and NSW public holidays. The day has phases: Pre-Open from 7:00am, an Opening Auction from 10:00am to about 10:09am, Normal Trading until 4:00pm, and a Closing Auction around 4:10pm. Queensland, WA, NT and SA have different local open times because of daylight saving. You can queue orders any time through your broker, but they only execute during a trading session.

ASX trading hours at a glance

The ASX is open for normal trading from 10:00am to 4:00pm Sydney time, Monday to Friday. That is AEST (UTC+10) from April to October, and AEDT (UTC+11) from October to April. The market is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and NSW public holidays. But the day does not simply switch on at 10:00am and off at 4:00pm, and understanding the phases is what makes the rest make sense.

From 7:00am you can enter and change orders, but nothing executes until the market opens at 10:00am. Live trading runs until 4:00pm, then a closing auction sets the official close.

The ASX trading day, phase by phase

Knowing the phases explains why your order might not fill the instant the clock hits 10:00am, or why the closing price is set a few minutes after 4:00pm.

The ASX trading day
Phase	Time (Sydney)	What happens
Pre-Open	7:00am to 10:00am	Enter, amend or cancel orders. Nothing executes yet.
Opening Auction	10:00am to ~10:09am	A single-price auction sets each stock's opening price, staggered by ASX code.
Normal Trading	10:00am to 4:00pm	Continuous order matching. The main trading window.
Pre-CSPA	4:00pm to 4:10pm	Orders can be entered; continuous matching pauses.
Closing Auction	~4:10pm (random end)	A single-price auction sets the official closing price.
Adjust and Purge	After close	Erroneous trades adjusted; unfilled day orders purged.

The staggered open is worth knowing: stocks whose codes start with A open first, then B, and so on, finishing by about 10:09am. Both auctions find the single price at which the most orders can match, which stops the chaotic swings you would get if everything matched continuously from the first second.

What time is that in your state?

The ASX publishes its hours in Sydney time, but Australia spans several time zones and only some states run daylight saving, so your local open time shifts through the year.

When the ASX opens in your local time
State or territory	Winter (AEST)	Summer (AEDT)
NSW, VIC, ACT, TAS	10:00am	10:00am
Queensland	10:00am	9:00am
South Australia	9:30am	9:30am
Northern Territory	9:30am	8:30am
Western Australia	8:00am	7:00am

Queensland, WA and the NT do not observe daylight saving, so during Sydney's summer they effectively open earlier in local time. If you trade from Perth, the open can be as early as 7:00am your time.

Does the ASX trade on weekends or public holidays?

No. The ASX is closed on Saturdays and Sundays, and on NSW public holidays. It follows the New South Wales calendar, so it is the NSW dates that matter, not your own state's.

ASX market non-trading days
Public holiday	Usual date
New Year's Day	1 January
Australia Day	26 January (or nearest Monday)
Good Friday and Easter Monday	Around Easter
Anzac Day	25 April
King's Birthday	Second Monday in June (NSW)
Christmas Day and Boxing Day	25 and 26 December

Check the ASX annual trading calendar for exact dates, as some holidays shift when they fall on a weekend.

When is the best time of day to trade?

There is no single right time, but the day has clear patterns. The first 30 minutes (10:00am to 10:30am) are usually the most active, as the overnight queue clears and last night's news gets priced in. The last 30 minutes (3:30pm to 4:00pm) are busy too, as funds rebalance into the close. The middle of the day (roughly 12:00pm to 2:00pm) is quieter, with lower volume and slightly wider spreads.

The practical tip: a limit order gives you price control regardless of the clock. New to order types? Our guide to buying shares walks through them in plain English.

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Beginners are often told to avoid the open because of volatility, and that is fair caution. But for small orders in liquid, large-cap stocks, the tight spreads at the open can work in your favour. The real risk is a market order on a thinly traded stock at 10:00am. Stick to limit orders and the time of day matters far less.

Placing orders outside trading hours

Most platforms let you place, amend or cancel orders at any time. They queue in your broker's system and are submitted at the next Pre-Open phase, from 7:00am on the next trading day. A market order placed overnight will execute at whatever price the opening auction produces, which can differ sharply after a big overnight move, so limit orders are strongly recommended outside hours. The same applies if you are selling shares. Good-till-cancelled orders persist across sessions; day orders are purged at the end of each session if they do not fill.

US market hours in Australian time

Many Australians also hold US shares or ETFs with US exposure. The NYSE and Nasdaq open at 9:30am and close at 4:00pm US Eastern Time. In AEDT (October to April) that is roughly 1:30am to 8:00am Sydney time the next morning; in AEST (April to October) it is roughly 11:30pm to 6:00am. In short, US markets trade overnight for Australians, so by the time the ASX opens at 10:00am, Wall Street has been closed for hours. Big overnight moves there are one reason the ASX open can be volatile: the market is catching up to a full night of global news at once.

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❓ Frequently asked questions

What time does the ASX open and close?

The ASX opens for normal trading at 10:00am Sydney time and closes at 4:00pm, Monday to Friday. The official closing price is set by the Closing Single-Price Auction, which ends at a random time between 4:10pm and 4:11pm to prevent last-second manipulation.

Is the ASX open on weekends?

No. The ASX does not trade on Saturdays or Sundays, and it also closes on NSW public holidays. Check the ASX trading calendar for the exact non-trading days each year, as some holiday dates shift when they fall on a weekend.

What time does the ASX open in Perth or Brisbane?

In Perth (AWST, UTC+8), the ASX opens at 8:00am in winter and 7:00am in summer. In Brisbane (AEST year-round), it opens at 10:00am in winter and 9:00am in summer, because Queensland does not observe daylight saving.

Can I place an order when the market is closed?

Yes. Most broker platforms let you place orders around the clock. Orders placed outside trading hours queue and are submitted at the next Pre-Open phase, from 7:00am on the next trading day. Use limit orders outside hours to avoid an unexpected execution price at the open.

What is the opening auction and why does it matter?

The Opening Auction runs from 10:00am to about 10:09am, staggered alphabetically by ASX code. It finds a single price at which the maximum number of buy and sell orders can be matched, setting the official opening price for each stock. It prevents wild price swings that could happen if orders matched continuously from the very first second.

What time does the US market open in Australian time?

The NYSE and Nasdaq open at 9:30am US Eastern Time. In AEDT (October to April) that is roughly 1:30am Sydney time the following morning; in AEST (April to October) it is roughly 11:30pm Sydney time. US markets effectively trade overnight for most Australians.

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Sources

This article is general information only, not financial advice. It does not take into account your circumstances. Trading hours, market phases and holiday dates can change, and details here are indicative as of mid-2026. Always check the current ASX trading calendar before you rely on a specific date or time.

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General information only. This article is educational and does not constitute personal financial advice. It does not account for your circumstances. Consider your own situation and seek advice from a licensed adviser before acting. Read our full disclaimer.

Timothy Hirou Gaschereau

Founder of Snowball Invest, not a financial adviser.

I write about what I'm learning myself, because nobody ever taught us how to take control of our own money. It's a skill, not a mystery, and it's never too late to learn it. The best day to start was yesterday, the second best is today.

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