Singapore stock exchange to end lunch break

So much for coffee and sandwiches.

The Singapore Exchange (SGX), Singapore’s stock market, said it will do away with its lunch break and launch continuous all-day trading from March.

At present, the exchange has a lunch break between 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.

The SGX, the second largest bourse in Asia after Hong Kong, said the change is necessary in order to allow Singapore to compete with rival Asian exchanges as trading volumes increase across the region.

SGX trading hours will therefore overlap more with those of other Asian exchanges, allowing investors who trade pan-Asian securities to respond to regional market movements and news flow, the exchange said.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange recently said it will cut its lunch break by 30 minutes, to 1 hour; also, Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing said it would cut its two-hour lunch break by 30 minutes.