Chinese Lunar New Year is around the corner. Please take note of the trading arrangements during the holiday period and make the necessary preparations in advance.

The China A-shares market will be closed from Tuesday, 28 January 2025 to Tuesday, 4 February 2025 local time for Chinese Lunar New Year.

The Hong Kong market will be closed early at 12:00 p.m. local time Tuesday, 28 January 2025, and continued to close from Wednesday, 29 January 2025 to Friday, 31 January 2025 local time for Chinese Lunar New Year.

The Singapore market will be closed early at 12:00 p.m. local time Tuesday, 28 January 2025, and continued to close from Wednesday, 29 January 2025 to Thursday, 30 January 2025 local time for Chinese Lunar New Year.

Background

Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. In Chinese, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival as the spring season in the lunisolar calendar traditionally starts with lichun, the first of the twenty-four solar terms which the festival celebrates around the time of the Chinese New Year. Marking the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season, observances traditionally take place from New Year’s Eve.

The Chinese New Year is associated with several myths and customs. The festival was traditionally a time to honor deities as well as ancestors. Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the New Year vary widely, and the evening preceding the New Year's Day is frequently regarded as an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner.

It is also a tradition for every family to thoroughly clean their house, in order to sweep away any ill fortune and to make way for incoming good luck. Another custom is the decoration of windows and doors with red paper-cuts and couplets. Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes.