Dear Tokyo Stock Exchange, Osaka Securities Exchange, and Tokyo Commodity Exchange

[Soultrader 12]

Japanese stock market regulations are by far the strangest amongst the major markets.

 

First we have a daily price limit for Japanese equities based on the share price. For example a stock priced below 100JPY will have a daily fluctuation limit of 30JPY or approximately 30%. A stock priced at 5,000JPY will have a daily fluctuation of 500JPY or 10%. More info...

 

 

Second why do we halt trading during lunch breaks from 11:00am to 12:30pm? Do you realize that this leads to only 4 hours of actual trading?

 

 

 

 

 

Third, this is dedicated to the Tokyo Commodity Exchange. How are you still in business?

 

Below is the daily trading volume for Feb. 3, 2009 for the the products listed:

 

1. Aluminum: 4 contracts

2. Crude Oil: 1,125 contracts

3. Gasoline: 6,693 contracts

4. Gold: 36,785 contracts

5. Kerosene: 3,308 contracts

6. Mini Gold: 20,626 contracts

7. Mini Platinum: 1,010 contracts

8. Palladium: 91 contracts

9. Platinum: 5,622 contracts

10. RSS3 Rubber: 14,308 contracts

11. Silver: 161 contracts

 

More info...

 

[MidKnight 12]

LOL @ TCE. That's a funny post James. I agree regarding holding through lunch. That type of re-open gap is highly unusual. It was like 1.5% gap up. Rare indeed. Monster trend in the afternoon too. Such fun.

[piphunter 10]

As a fellow resident of Japan, I know that these are hardly the only unusual things about the country that make you go "hmmmmm"!!

 

As for the lunch break, it makes perfect sense. Otherwise how could the salarymen in Otemachi and Marunouchi get out to slurp down some ramen or grab a quick bento? They wouldn't eat otherwise and they would drop dead around 8pm when they are heading with colleagues to the izakaya to drink some beer!

 

Do you also realize there are still stock exchanges in Sapporo and Fukuoka? Currently only 140 equities listed on them in total.. Most would be primarily listed in Tokyo or elsewhere too... CRAZY!

[Soultrader 12]

Welcome piphunter,

 

Strange isnt it? I was actually based in Otemachi till last year and now in Marunouchi. I am definitely not a fan of the lunch breaks... must of seen my position go against me so many times I simply quit holding through lunch.

 

Good to see a fellow Japanese trader here