Muscat bourse to extend trading hours from June

The Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) will extend daily trading by an hour to boost activity and market liquidity.

The move will take effect from June 1, with the market closing at 3pm local time instead of 2pm, the exchange said in a statement.

The pre-opening session will run from 9:30 to 10am, while continuous trading will operate from 10am until 2:45pm. 

The pre-closing session will take place from 2:45 to 2:55pm, followed by trading at closing prices from 2:55 to 3pm.

The revised timetable will support higher levels of liquidity and trading activity, unidentified market officials told the Oman Observer. 

The bourse’s main index has gained 3.5 percent since closing at 7,393 on February 26, two days before the start of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. The benchmark is up 26 percent so far this year.

Boursa Kuwait extended trading hours by 30 minutes from October last year to drive market participation and liquidity.

In December, Egyptian Stock Exchange chairman Islam Azzam said more than half of the companies listed on the bourse supported a proposed extension of trading hours.

About 54 percent of the listed companies approved adding an hour, extending the Egyptian trading session from 9:30am to 3pm, versus the current 10am to 2:30pm.

Further reading:

• Oman economy in numbers
• Boursa Kuwait to extend trading hours
• Most companies on Egypt bourse back trading extension