What’s a delayed opening?

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Late openings are short periods in which the opening of a trading day is postponed. A delayed opening can last just a few minutes or go on for several hours. In general, there are some sort of extenuating circumstances that make it prudent to delay trading for a short period of time.

While there are a number of situations that could conceivably lead to a delayed opening, there are three common reasons for authorizing a temporary postponement to the start of the trading day. First, a delay in opening the trade to active trading could be due to the need to restore some degree of equilibrium in a market that closed with a large disparity between supply and demand the previous trading day. In this case, it gives the exchange a chance to determine whether the factors that caused the disparity the previous day have decreased or at least decreased. The idea behind opening late is to assess the situation and be prepared to respond accordingly once the trade is open for trading.

Another common reason for a late opening has to do with crucial announcements that have the potential to create a lot of confusion in the marketplace. The delay in opening gives investors more time to fully evaluate the announcement in question and determine any impact on their current holdings. This is often the case when a large corporation makes an announcement of a major change in product lines or key company officials, or announces a merger. This gives investors a little more time to digest the announcement and minimizes the possibility of making rash buying and selling decisions.

Exchanges may choose to issue a delayed opening due to world events which could have a major impact on the day’s trading activity. Events such as natural disasters, military coups and the results of general elections can be so profound that one or more major markets are expected to be significantly affected. As with corporate change announcements, the trade opening could be delayed as a means for investors to explore the impact of the event in more detail before jumping to conclusions and possibly making unwise decisions about trades that day.

While a late open is often seen as an inconvenience, the fact is that judicious use of a late open is in the best interest not only of the exchange in question, but also of the investors trading on the exchange. By providing a little extra time for all interested parties to assess the current circumstances before starting to trade, the chances of making uninformed decisions about trades are minimized and therefore have less potential to undermine the market.

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