Live status, 2026 calendar and Asia/Hong_Kong timezone
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) is Asia’s second-largest exchange by market capitalisation and one of the world’s leading financial centres. It lists major companies including Tencent, AIA Group, HSBC, BYD and Alibaba (secondary listing). The headline index is the Hang Seng Index (HSI).
Hong Kong occupies a unique position as a bridge between Chinese capital markets and international investors. H-shares and the Stock Connect programme give foreign investors regulated access to mainland Chinese companies.
The HKEX operates in two sessions with a one-hour lunch break, following the standard Asian exchange pattern.
| Session | HKT (UTC+8) | London (GMT/BST) | Paris (CET/CEST) | New York (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | 09:30 – 12:00 | 01:30 – 04:00 / 02:30 – 05:00 | 02:30 – 05:00 / 03:30 – 06:00 | 20:30 – 23:00 / 21:30 – 00:00 |
| Lunch Break | 12:00 – 13:00 | — | — | — |
| Afternoon | 13:00 – 16:00 | 05:00 – 08:00 / 06:00 – 09:00 | 06:00 – 09:00 / 07:00 – 10:00 | 00:00 – 03:00 / 01:00 – 04:00 |
Hong Kong does not observe daylight saving time and stays at UTC+8 year-round. The offset shifts only when European or US clocks change.
The afternoon close at 16:00 HKT lands at 09:00 CET in winter — the last hour of the HKEX session overlaps with the European open.
Hong Kong observes a mix of Chinese traditional and British-derived holidays.
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 | Thu | New Year’s Day |
| Feb (variable) | — | Chinese New Year (3 days — check lunar calendar) |
| Apr 3 | Fri | Good Friday |
| Apr 6 | Mon | Easter Monday |
| May 1 | Fri | Labour Day |
| Jul 1 | Wed | HKSAR Establishment Day |
| Oct 1 | Thu | National Day |
| Dec 25 | Fri | Christmas Day |
| Dec 26 | Sat | Boxing Day |
Chinese New Year (Chunjie) falls in January or February depending on the lunar calendar. HKEX typically closes for three consecutive days.
The end of the HKEX afternoon session overlaps with the opening of European exchanges, creating a brief but notable one-hour window.
| Time (CET) | Active Markets |
|---|---|
| 02:30 – 05:00 | HKEX morning only |
| 06:00 – 09:00 | HKEX afternoon only |
| 09:00 – 10:00 | HKEX (last hour) + European open |
| 10:00 – 22:00 | Europe + US (no HKEX) |
This one-hour overlap (09:00–10:00 CET) matters for EUR/HKD and for European-listed ETFs tracking Hong Kong indices — prices can move during this window as both venues are simultaneously active.
No. HKEX is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Trading runs Monday to Friday only, with closures on public holidays. Typhoon signal 8 or above can also trigger an unscheduled closure.
HKEX (Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited) is the holding company that operates the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (SEHK). In practice, “HKEX” and “Hong Kong Stock Exchange” are used interchangeably.
Yes, through the Stock Connect programme. Eligible mainland A-shares listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen can be traded via HKEX, and Hong Kong-listed stocks can be bought by mainland Chinese investors. Quota limits apply, and not all A-shares are included in the eligible list.
The one-hour lunch break (12:00–13:00 HKT) follows the traditional Asian exchange pattern. HKEX reduced it from 90 minutes to 60 minutes in 2012 and has discussed further changes, but the break remains as of 2026.
H-shares are shares of companies incorporated in mainland China that are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. They trade in Hong Kong dollars and are accessible to international investors without QFII quotas — unlike A-shares, which trade on the Shanghai or Shenzhen exchanges.
Maxime holds two master’s degrees from the SKEMA Business School and FFBC. As founder and editor-in-chief of NewTrading.fr, he writes daily about financial trading.
