Trading Hours and Order Types in Borsa Istanbul

One of the most basic topics that every investor who wants to trade in Borsa Istanbul (BIST) should know is trading hours and order types. Borsa Istanbul Stock Market operates with continuous trading and single price methods between specific time slots every weekday. The opening and closing processes of the market, the continuous auction stages during the day, and evening sessions are subject to different rules. Knowing these hours and the rules valid during these hours correctly is of critical importance for your orders to execute at the right price and time.

In Borsa Istanbul, the session starts at 09:40 in the morning. Between 09:40 and 09:55, the opening session is held. In this stage, orders are collected from investors but no matching (transaction) takes place. Between 09:55 and 10:00, the collected orders are matched and opening prices are determined. At 10:00, the continuous trading (continuous auction) stage begins, and buying and selling transactions continue uninterrupted until 18:00 in the evening. Between 18:00 and 18:05, the closing margin is determined, between 18:05 and 18:08, transactions are made at the closing price, and the session ends completely at 18:10.

There are different order types you can use when trading on the stock exchange. The most common is the 'Limit Price Order'; in this order type, you define the price you want to buy or sell the stock, and the order does not execute until the price reaches that level. The 'Market Order' is used to execute immediately at the current best active price without specifying a price. In the 'Market to Limit Order' type, the order matches at the current best price, and the unexecuted part is written as a passive limit order at that price. Investors who want to trade fast prefer market orders, while those who want to control costs should use limit orders.

Especially in recent years, with the development of trading terminals, 'Conditional Orders' (Trigger/Stop Orders) have gained popularity. Conditional orders are orders that become active when the price reaches a level (trigger price) you define. These orders are a vital tool for setting stop-loss or take-profit levels, especially for investors who cannot sit in front of the screen constantly. In addition, order validity periods such as 'Good 'Til Cancelled' (GTC) or 'Day' can be determined. Day orders are automatically cancelled at the end of the session if they do not execute, while GTC orders remain active in the system until the specified date.

Our Sermaye Borsasi Telegram data terminal bot allows you to query instant order depths during and after session hours. You can track which stocks started with buying at the session opening and which stocks received institutional buying in the dark room (closing session) at the closing session through our bot. Mastering the session hours and rules of Borsa Istanbul is the first step to protect yourself from market traps and take positions at the right time. As Sermaye Borsasi, we aim to instill professional trading discipline in investors.