KRX-after-market trading

▲ The building of the Korea Exchange, South Korea's main bourse operator (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Yonhap) -- A total of 1.8 trillion won (US$1.33 billion) worth of stocks were traded during South Korea's first after-hours stock trading session Monday, the Korea Exchange (KRX) said.

On the first day of the new session, investors were able to trade stocks listed on the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the tech-heavy Kosdaq in real time for four hours from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., following the regular 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. trading session, according to the KRX.

"With major U.S. stock exchanges, such as Nasdaq, set to begin 23-hour trading by the end of this year to attract liquidity, the move is aimed at laying the foundation for competition with global markets," a KRX official said.

During the four-hour session, a total of 72.24 million shares worth 1.82 trillion won changed hands on the two markets, accounting for 8.03 percent and 7.05 percent, respectively, of the 900 million shares worth 25.8 trillion won traded during the regular session from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Until Friday, after-hours stock trading was available only on the alternative trading system Nextrade (NXT) from 3:40 p.m. to 8 p.m.

On Monday, a total of 12.17 million shares worth 1.78 trillion won were traded on the NXT platform.

Unlike the NXT platform, where the number of stocks available for trading has been limited to 600, most stocks listed on the two markets became available for trading during the new four-hour after-hours session.

However, investors are barred from trading exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and exchange-traded notes (ETNs) during the four-hour session due to concerns about market volatility.

Daily stock price limits and market stabilization measures, such as circuit breakers, also apply to the after-hours session.

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