What time does the London Stock Exchange open?
The LSE runs a single continuous trading session each weekday.
| Event | Time (GMT/BST) |
|---|---|
| Opening auction | 07:50 |
| Continuous trading | 08:00-16:30 |
| Closing auction | 16:30 |
Trading ends at 16:30 sharp. The closing auction is part of the exchange's scheduled market hours, not an optional extension.
London Stock Exchange opening hours: the two daily auctions
The LSE runs two auctions each day.
- Opening auction (07:50): A ten-minute window before continuous trading. Used for price discovery and to execute orders that accumulated overnight.
- Closing auction (16:30): Marks the end of the trading day. Final trades are executed at the closing price.
These auctions are not optional add-ons. They are part of the exchange's standard schedule and apply to all listed securities.
London Stock Exchange opening hours in GMT and BST
The UK switches between GMT (UTC+0) and BST (UTC+1) twice a year.
- BST 2026 starts: Sunday 29 March at 01:00 local time (clocks forward to 02:00).
- BST 2026 ends: Sunday 25 October at 02:00 local time (clocks back to 01:00).
The LSE trading window (08:00-16:30) stays the same in local time. But its relation to other markets shifts.
| Market | Winter (GMT) | Summer (BST) |
|---|---|---|
| London | 08:00-16:30 GMT | 08:00-16:30 BST |
| Euronext (Paris) | 09:00-17:30 CET | 09:00-17:30 CEST |
| Frankfurt | 09:00-17:30 CET | 09:00-17:30 CEST |
| New York | 03:00-11:30 EST | 03:00-11:30 EDT |
| Tokyo | 17:00-01:30 JST | 16:00-00:30 JST |
The LSE hours overlap fully with Euronext and Frankfurt (both on CET/CEST, one hour ahead of London year-round). The New York overlap is 13:00-16:30 GMT in winter and 12:00-16:30 BST in summer.
For a live conversion of LSE hours to your local time, use the UK Time Zone Converters.
When does the FTSE 100 report and hold AGMs?
The FTSE 100 reporting season follows a half-yearly cycle.
- First reporting window: February and March
- Second reporting window: July and August
AGM season peaks between April and June. The LSE's standard 08:00-16:30 schedule does not change, but traders should expect higher volumes and potential volatility around announcement times.
London Stock Exchange holidays: when the market is closed
The London Stock Exchange is closed on UK bank holidays. The exchange does not operate its own calendar; it follows the official UK bank holiday schedule.
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 January 2026 | New Year's Day |
| 3 April 2026 | Good Friday |
| 4 May 2026 | May Day |
| 25 May 2026 | Spring Bank Holiday |
| 25 December 2026 | Christmas Day |
| 26 December 2026 | Boxing Day |
| 28 December 2026 | Boxing Day (observed) |
For 2027, Good Friday falls on 26 March, May Day on 3 May, and Spring Bank Holiday on 31 May.
Trading resumes the next business day after each holiday. No extended hours, no catch-up sessions.
Payment systems that run alongside London Stock Exchange opening hours
Two UK payment systems operate alongside the LSE schedule but have their own deadlines.
- CHAPS (high-value payments): Settles 06:00-18:00 GMT/BST weekdays. Payments initiated before 18:00 settle same-day.
- BACS (direct credits and debits): Runs on a three-day cycle. The submission cut-off is typically 22:00. A BACS payment submitted after 22:00 is treated as the next business day's submission.
Neither system adjusts its hours when the LSE closes early or on bank holidays.