Stock Market Holiday: China’s Lunar New Year Impact
The market is experiencing unusual quietness as traders should be aware that China has declared a public holiday. The Lunar New Year holiday keeps Mainland Chinese equity exchanges, including Shanghai and Shenzhen, closed, resulting in decreased trading volumes.
Markets across the region, including Singapore and Hong Kong, are operating under limited hours, which has led to reduced price movements and diminished market volatility. Japan’s Nikkei index shows a slight upward movement, but with most markets closed, the impact on today’s trading session remains unpredictable.
Today serves as a dual test for investors seeking to understand market dynamics: the holiday halts standard trading practices, yet traders will return once the festive period concludes, resuming full market activity.
China’s Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, combines the festive elements of the Oscars, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve into one celebration, including family gatherings, traditional feasts, fireworks displays, and dragon dance performances. During this holiday, financial markets, government offices, and business operations in China cease activity for approximately one week.
This leads to decreased market activity, slower price movements, and impacts trading operations across Asia and its commodities markets. The current trading situation resembles a global market pause, as China halts operations while the rest of the world observes until normal trading resumes.
| Exchange / Market | Holiday Dates | Trading Status | Resumption Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shenzhen Stock Exchange | Feb 16 – Feb 23, 2026 | Closed | Feb 24, 2026 |
| Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) | Feb 16 – Feb 23, 2026 | Closed | Feb 24, 2026 |
| Singapore Exchange (SGX) | Feb 16, 2026 | Half-day session | Feb 19, 2026 (full trading resumes) |
| Singapore Exchange (SGX) | Feb 17–18, 2026 | Full-day holiday | Feb 19, 2026 |
| Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) | Feb 16, 2026 | Half-day trading | Feb 20, 2026 |
| Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) | Feb 17–19, 2026 | Full-day holiday | Feb 20, 2026 |
China, South Korea, and Taiwan remained closed for Lunar New Year.
(With Inputs From Reuters)
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Aishwarya is a journalism graduate with over three years of experience thriving in the buzzing corporate media world. She’s got a knack for decoding business news, tracking the twists and turns of the stock market, covering the masala of the entertainment world, and sometimes her stories come with just the right sprinkle of political commentary. She has worked with several organizations, interned at ZEE and gained professional skills at TV9 and News24, And now is learning and writing at NewsX, she’s no stranger to the newsroom hustle. Her storytelling style is fast-paced, creative, and perfectly tailored to connect with both the platform and its audience. Moto: Approaching every story from the reader’s point of view, backing up her insights with solid facts.
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