LSE plots 24-hour trading to revive interest in shares
The LSEG, which owns the flagship London stock market, is accelerating plans to launch a 24-hour trading platform to boost the appeal of the gloomy UK market and encourage overseas investors and younger traders to buy British shares.
Changing trading patterns in the US, where transactions are increasingly done outside of working hours by a new generation of Gen Z retail investors on smartphone apps, is leaving traditional bourses exposed.
Cryptocurrency markets, such as Bitcoin trading, already trade around the clock and more people trade shares in the small hours on platforms like Robinhood, making traditional market hours increasingly anachronistic.
London-listed shares currently only trade between 8am and 4pm.
The LSEG declined to comment on the plan, first reported by the Financial Times, but chief executive David Schwimmer has made no secret of his desire to boost the London market.
Mr Schwimmer has transformed LSEG into a data and technology giant to rival Bloomberg following a $27bn (£21bn) takeover of Refinitiv, with the stock exchange now accounting for just 3pc of the group's revenues.
Britain's stock market is facing a crisis after shrinking trading volumes and a dearth of new listing. Recent tax raids by the Government and tariffs woes have also dented companies.
According to figures released by EY on Monday, UK-listed companies issued 59 profit warnings during the second quarter of 2025, a 20pc rise compared to the same period last year.
A shift to 24-hour trading would mirror strides in the US where so-called 'dark pools' – which are private exchanges where buyers and sellers meet in secret – have become increasingly popular ways to trade shares overnight.
Some dark pools, such as Blue Ocean, allow for shares to be traded once US markets close and last year the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved a licence for a new Bermuda-based trading platform 24X to offer out-of-hours trading.
Mainstream US stock exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) have sought to keep pace with the developments by extending trading hours.
The NYSE asked the SEC for permission to extend its trading window outside of its traditional 9:30pm to 4pm time earlier this year.
However any move to extend trading hours is likely to face fierce criticism from conventional fund managers. They use the closing price of shares to set the value of their funds, with trillions of pounds dependent on the closing price.
Round-the-clock trading would make setting prices even more difficult, while fund managers are likely to resist moves to monitor the market 24/7.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Equinix raises annual results forecast on steady data center demand
(Reuters) -Data center firm Equinix raised its forecast for annual results on Wednesday, signaling steady demand from its enterprise customers investing in AI solutions. The company has benefited from the increased demand for data center infrastructure amid a surge in artificial intelligence usage. Major cloud firms, including Google, have pledged significant investments this year to expand on AI, underscoring robust demand for AI-related products and solutions. Equinix provides organizations with secure, resilient and power-efficient environments to house their IT equipment within its data centers, while offering shared infrastructure and connectivity solutions. The company now expects annual revenue to be between $9.23 billion and $9.33 billion, compared with prior projection of $9.18 billion to $9.28 billion. It now expects annual per-share funds from operations, a key measure of cash flow, to be in the range of $37.67 to $38.48 per share, compared with previous forecast of $37.36 to $38.17. In the second quarter ended June 30, the company's revenue rose 4.6% to $2.26 billion, in line with estimates, according to data compiled by LSEG. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
JD.Com to acquire Ceconomy
(Reuters) -China's said on Wednesday it will acquire German electronics retailer Ceconomy at 4.60 euros per share. Reuters reported the deal earlier on Wednesday. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Western Digital beats quarterly revenue estimates on strong data storage demand
(Reuters) -Western Digital beat expectations for fourth-quarter revenue on Wednesday, benefiting from strong orders for its data storage products as enterprises adopt cloud computing, sending its shares up more than 4% in extended trading. Demand for Western Digital's storage devices has surged due to the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, which makes use of data centers requiring infrastructure to hold large amounts of data for training. For the quarter ended June 27, the company reported revenue of $2.61 billion, beating estimates of $2.47 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Western Digital forecast first-quarter revenue of $2.70 billion on an adjusted basis, plus or minus $100 million. Analysts expect $2.54 billion. It forecast adjusted earnings per share of $1.54, plus or minus 15 cents, while analysts expect $1.38 per share. Sign in to access your portfolio