Egyptian Stock Market Trading Hours — When Does EGX Open and Close?

Unlike most global markets that trade Monday to Friday, the Egyptian Exchange trades Sunday through Thursday, with Friday and Saturday off. This reflects the Egyptian working week and catches many foreign investors off guard. If you move to Egypt from a market like the London Stock Exchange or NYSE and expect Friday trading, you will miss a full trading day every week.

The main continuous trading session runs from 10:00 to 14:30 Cairo local time (GMT+2, or GMT+3 during the brief daylight saving period when that applies). Before the open, there is a pre-opening auction from 09:30 to 10:00 during which orders are collected but not matched — the opening price at 10:00 is determined by the auction algorithm to maximize matched volume.

A closing auction typically runs in the last few minutes before 14:30, concentrating end-of-day liquidity into a single price-discovery event. The closing price used by indices and most valuation calculations is the price from this closing auction, not the last trade of the continuous session. This matters for anyone calculating daily returns — always use the official close, not the last tick on your platform.

EGX observes all Egyptian public holidays: Coptic Christmas (7 January), Sinai Liberation Day (25 April), Labour Day (1 May), Eid al-Fitr (dates vary), Revolution Day (23 July), Armed Forces Day (6 October), Eid al-Adha, Islamic New Year, Prophet's Birthday, and Sham el-Nessim. The exchange publishes the full calendar at the start of each year. During Ramadan, trading hours are typically shortened — historically the continuous session has been 10:00 to 13:30 during Ramadan, but always check the EGX official announcement for the current year's schedule.

Egyptian equities settle T+2, meaning a trade executed on Sunday settles on Tuesday. Cash from a sell transaction is not available to withdraw until settlement completes. This is important for short-term traders: if you sell on Thursday, the cash settles the following Monday (T+2 counts business days, not calendar days). For dividend entitlement, you must own the share at the close of the record date — because of T+2 settlement, this means you must buy at least two business days before the record date to be entitled to the dividend.

There is currently no after-hours or overnight trading on the EGX. If you place an order outside trading hours, it sits in your broker's queue and goes to the exchange at the next pre-opening session. News released overnight (earnings announcements, corporate actions, regulatory decisions) often creates gaps at the next open — the price can open significantly higher or lower than the previous close, and your overnight limit order can fill at an unexpected price if you set it too aggressively.

Practical tips for handling orders outside market hours: if you want to buy or sell at a specific price, place a limit order with an expiry date — most brokers let you set "good till canceled" or a specific date, so your order stays active for multiple sessions. Avoid placing market orders outside hours that will execute at the next open, because the opening auction can produce large gaps, especially after holidays or after major news. Limit orders protect you from surprises.

If you monitor news globally, remember that Friday and Saturday news about the Egyptian economy, currency, or specific companies will be priced into Sunday's open, not spread over the weekend as it would be for a Monday-open market. The first 30 minutes of Sunday trading often have sharp moves and wide spreads — be patient, let prices stabilize, and avoid chasing the open. This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.