The London Stock Exchange opens at 08:00 GMT, and closes at 16:30 – with a break from 12:00 to 12:02. The London stock market hours are some of the longest in the world – with a total of 8 hours and 28 minutes of trading time. Most other exchanges only open for between 5 and 7 hours.
During this time, exchanges do not allow modifications, cancellations, or placement of new orders. 3:40 PM—4:00 PM: Market orders can be placed during this period and are executed at the day's closing price.
Placing a deal outside market hours depends on the type of investment you're buying or selling: For shares, you can only place a direct deal during market hours, which in the UK are 8am to 4:30pm. For UK shares, you can set up limit or stop loss orders outside market hours.
Day traders need liquidity and volatility, and the stock market offers those most frequently in the hours after it opens, from 9:30 a.m. to about noon ET, and then in the last hour of trading before the close at 4 p.m. ET.
A bear market is a 20% downturn in stock market indexes from recent highs. A bull market occurs when stock market indexes are generally rising, eventually hitting new highs. Historically, bull markets tend to last longer than bear markets.
Overnight trading is available 24 hours a day, every market day, by choosing an EXTO order type. EXTO orders expire at 8:00 p.m. ET each day. For example, an EXTO order placed at 2:00 a.m. ET Monday morning would be active immediately and remain active from then until 8:00 p.m. ET Monday night.
The US stock market opens from 2:30pm to 9pm (UK time), so you can trade US shares trade up until 9pm. Extended hours are also available to share dealing clients, from 12pm to 10.30pm Monday to Thursday and until 10pm on a Friday.
You'll see a '24/5 trading' toggle above the 'Review order' button when placing an order. Once the toggle's switched on, it'll stay enabled until switched off. Do price charts include 24/5 prices? Stock price charts currently include pre-market, regular hours and after-hours prices.
The best time of day to buy and sell shares is usually thought to be the first couple of hours of the market opening. The reason for this is that all significant market news for the day is factored into the stock price first thing in the morning.
A bull market describes stock prices rising over a period of time. The typical bull market lasts just under 4 years, usually during a time of economic growth.
Given the difficulty of timing the market, the most realistic strategy for the majority of investors would be to invest in stocks immediately. Procrastination can be worse than bad timing. Long term, it's almost always better to invest in stocks—even at the worst time each year—than not to invest at all.
What is the all time high of the London Stock Exchange?
Historically, the United Kingdom Stock Market Index (GB100) reached an all time high of 9358.90 in August of 2025. United Kingdom Stock Market Index (GB100) - data, forecasts, historical chart - was last updated on August 30 of 2025.
Even when an IPO starts strong, it can lose money on the first day of going public or several days after and, eventually, fail. In the first quarter of 2025, 46% of U.S. IPO companies saw positive first-day returns, a 3% increase year over year.
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) in trading refers to the anxiety and impulsive decisions traders feel when they fear missing out on potentially profitable opportunities. FOMO is driven by emotions rather than logic and can result in poor decision-making, overtrading, and financial losses.
Selling when the market is down means you might lock in a permanent loss and miss the recovery. The key is to stay in the market for the long haul, not to try and time it. TIP: Be patient, tune out the daily ups and downs of the market and stay focused on your long-term goals.
Some traders follow something called the "10 a.m. rule." The stock market opens for trading at 9:30 a.m., and there's often a lot of trading between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Traders that follow the 10 a.m. rule think a stock's price trajectory is relatively set for the day by the end of that half-hour.
How much money do day traders with $25,000 accounts make per day on average?
Many traders aim to earn about 1% to 2% per day, which would be $250 to $500 daily on a $25,000 account. However, real-life results vary and often depend on your trading style, experience, and the overall market conditions. How much can you make day trading with $25000?
Two months in particular—September and October—often carry a reputation for volatility, poor returns, and unpredictability. This belief has sparked considerable discussion among market analysts and retail investors alike.
Although some investors can be “bearish,” the majority of investors are typically “bullish.” The stock market, as a whole, has tended to post positive returns over long time horizons. A bear market can be more dangerous to invest in, as many equities lose value and prices become volatile.
A 401(k) plan is a qualified plan that includes a feature allowing an employee to elect to have the employer contribute a portion of the employee's wages to an individual account under the plan. The underlying plan can be a profit-sharing, stock bonus, pre-ERISA money purchase pension, or a rural cooperative plan.
An IPO (initial public offering) is the first time a business raises finance publicly. Before that, it can only use private investment. Going public allows your business to raise large sums of money from new investors.
