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Restricted trading hours until power cuts subside

22 May 2022

  • CSE will continue operating from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. 
  • Chairman says decision taken to ensure ‘reasonable’ access to market 
By Shenal Fernando The current restricted trading hours at the Bourse are likely to continue in the near term as any decision on reverting to normal trading hours at the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) will depend on the situation relating to the ongoing daily power cuts in the country. Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, CSE Chairman Dumith Fernando stated that they had implemented the current restricted trading hours in the CSE due to the recurrent power cuts, which had resulted in traders being unable to access the market. He noted that this decision had been made to ensure reasonable access to the market for everyone. He added: “We will go back to the regular extended trading hours when the power cuts subside. We are currently closely monitoring the power situation in the country. The stockbrokers of course have business continuity plans so that’s not the issue. The issue is the thousands of traders accessing the market through their digital devices after the recent digitalisation of the market over the past two years.” Until a decision is made in this regard, the current restricted trading hours will continue. Accordingly, the pre-open session will continue to be from 10 to 10.30 a.m.  and the open auction will be at 10.30 a.m. as usual. However, trading commencing at 10.30 a.m. after the open auction will continue to be limited to a mere two hours and will be stopped at 12.30 p.m. The current restricted trading hours were introduced by the CSE from 31 March onwards, when the CSE announced by way of a circular that it would be restricting trading hours from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. on Thursday 31 March 2022 and Friday 1 April 2022, due to the difficulties faced by investors and other stakeholders in accessing and operating amid the prevailing power cuts. At the time, the CSE informed that this decision to restrict trading hours had been taken post consultation with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC), having considered a request made by stockbroker firms to restrict trading hours.  


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