The Nikkei 225 on a weekend: what actually moves
Source: Hyperliquid / Last updated: / Perpetual-futures prices are reference values.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange is closed on Saturday and Sunday. The Nikkei 225 itself does not update. Even so, there are several ways to get a feel for where the Nikkei 225 stands over a weekend.
This article sets out, on the facts, the options for figures that move, or can be referenced, at the weekend.
First: the Nikkei 225 itself does not move at the weekend
The Nikkei 225 is an index of the Tokyo market
There is one point to hold on to first. The Nikkei Stock Average, the Nikkei 225, is an index. It is calculated from the share prices of companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, while the Tokyo market is closed, the value of the Nikkei 225 itself does not update.
On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays the value of the Nikkei 225 itself does not update.
What is visible is a different figure
So what can be seen at the weekend is a different figure. It tracks, or relates to, the Nikkei 225. Not confusing the two is what matters.
What is referenced at the weekend is a related figure, not the Nikkei 225 itself.
The options for a weekend reference
There are several figures that can be referenced at the weekend. They are set out together first.
| Figure that can be referenced | How it behaves on Saturday and Sunday |
|---|---|
| Friday's close, or the night-session settlement | Stops moving once Friday's night session ends |
| Nikkei 225 futures listed overseas | Generally not traded on Saturday or Sunday |
| CFDs, contracts for difference | Most are generally closed on Saturday and Sunday |
| Perpetual-futures prices at some venues | In some cases quoted through the weekend |
There are options, but weekend trading is not a given.
Friday's close and the night-session settlement
The most basic reference point is the close of the most recent session. Nikkei 225 futures have a night session. At Osaka Exchange it runs from 17:00 to 06:00 the next day, Japan time.
Trading hours can change. For the latest, check Osaka Exchange's own information.
Friday's night-session settlement is one marker. It is a marker for thinking about the week ahead.
Even so, it stops moving once Friday's night session ends. Osaka Exchange's Nikkei 225 futures do not move on Saturday or Sunday either.
Friday's settlement is a marker, but it does not update over the weekend.
Nikkei-linked futures listed overseas
Futures tracking the Nikkei 225 are also listed on exchanges outside Japan. Not only on domestic exchanges.
Even so, overseas exchanges generally do not trade on Saturday or Sunday. The reference points are limited — up to Friday in local hours, or from Monday morning.
For the exact trading calendar, check each exchange's official site.
Listed overseas or not, Saturday and Sunday are generally not traded.
CFDs, contracts for difference
A CFD is an instrument that tracks the movement of an equity index or similar.
Some providers offer CFDs tracking the Nikkei 225, traded for close to 24 hours on weekdays.
Even so, most CFDs are generally closed on Saturday and Sunday. Whether weekend trading is available differs by provider, and so do the trading hours.
Check each provider's own site for the detail.
Close to 24 hours on weekdays does not mean the weekend is open.
24-hour reference prices
A perpetual future is a futures contract with no settlement date.
At some crypto-related venues, prices are in some cases quoted through the weekend. The instruments are perpetual futures that track equity indices and similar.
These are reference values. They are not the price of the Nikkei 225 itself.
Liquidity and the character of the price also differ from venue to venue. Their place is as a rough marker of direction.
A figure quoted at the weekend is not the price of the Nikkei 225 itself.
How to take a weekend figure
Monday does not have to follow it
None of the figures that can be referenced at the weekend is the Nikkei 225 itself. Each is a different, related figure.
So when the Tokyo market opens again, the move does not have to be the same.
They are different, related figures, so they do not have to match the reopening.
What gets reflected in Monday's open
Plenty happens over a weekend — overseas news, currency moves and so on. Those get reflected in Monday's open.
A weekend reference value is one input for thinking about the week ahead. Its place is as a reference value, and nothing more.
A weekend reference value is one input for thinking about the week ahead.
What StockTicker24 shows
On the StockTicker24 dashboard, markers for world share prices can be seen in one list. Reference values related to the Nikkei 225 are included, and they can be checked at any hour.
Perpetual-futures prices traded on offshore crypto-derivatives venues are among the reference figures included. Details of the source are set out on the About the data page.
Even at a weekend, with the Tokyo market shut, a marker is visible: which way the related figure is pointing.
To repeat: these are reference values, not the Nikkei 225 itself. For which products can actually be traded and when, check the official information from brokers and exchanges.
What is displayed is a reference value, not the Nikkei 225 itself.
Common questions
Does the Nikkei 225 move on Saturday and Sunday?
It does not. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, while the Tokyo market is closed, the value of the Nikkei 225 itself does not update.
What are the night-session hours?
At Osaka Exchange the session runs from 17:00 to 06:00 the next day, Japan time. Trading hours can change. For the latest, check Osaka Exchange's own information.
Do Osaka Exchange's Nikkei 225 futures move at the weekend?
Once Friday's night session ends, they do not move on Saturday or Sunday.
Do overseas exchanges trade on Saturday and Sunday?
Overseas exchanges generally do not trade on Saturday or Sunday either. For the exact trading calendar, check each exchange's official site.
Can CFDs be traded at the weekend?
Most CFDs are generally closed on Saturday and Sunday. Whether weekend trading is available, and the trading hours, differ by provider. Check each provider's own site for the detail.
Is a reference price moving at the weekend the Nikkei 225?
It is not the price of the Nikkei 225 itself. It is a reference value.
Will Monday follow the weekend figure?
The move does not have to be the same. Plenty happens over a weekend — overseas news, currency moves and so on. Those get reflected in Monday's open.
Summary
- The Nikkei 225 itself does not move at the weekend.
- A feel for it can still be had through the last futures close, CFDs and 24-hour reference prices.
- Each of them is a different, related figure.
- None of them guarantees the move when Tokyo reopens.
- For exact trading hours and calendars, always check the official sites of each provider and each exchange.
This article organises the figures that can be referenced. It does not recommend any particular trade.