'Currently' the electronic contract hours are different than the pit, and almost zero volume goes there. Currently the pit hours (EST) are: 7:55pm - 10:15pm Break 11:15pm - 2:25am I'd expect the new electronic contract to be launched Nov. 1 will trade side-by-side with the pit.
it will be launched side by side and i'm pretty optimistic on the contract - smaller tick intervals on the future, a much better system than osaka and a number of confirmed market makers.
BTW, currently in the US is EDT (not EST). SG - NY is 12 hrs for EDT and 13 hrs for EST. You will see a shift by 1 hour when EDT goes EST. http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/what.html http://info.sgx.com/SGXWeb_DT.nsf/DOCNAME/SGX_Nikkei_225_Index_SGX_Nikkei_225_Futures
I'm also looking forward to seeing the details. Currently, with IB, it is 750Y (6.85$) and 2,000/mo data (18.25$). The tick on Osaka is 91$ and change lately. Geo.
I see that the CME has a Nikkei 225 futures product, too: http://www.cme.com/prd/eq/nikkei6454.html and in the brochure they claim the yen-denominated version can be traded around-the-clock.
Charting: HSI Futuresource/esignal cover it, CQG does not. Due to problems with esignal I now use Sierra/TWS/Scmagic. Nikkei SGX esignal and I think also futuresource cover it TOPIX - Difficult TWS/Sierra but no SC Magic coverage. Obviously BBG/Reuters cover for a price. No TT coverage. IB speed of execution on e.g stops seems fine i.e 'uh huh OK' re slippage rather than 'WTF' bearing in mind thinness and volatility. May even be an execution edge there with IB, but don't know HK broker systems. Only limit order native. Yes it can gap at lunchbreak. Can be made to work for you as well as against you. HSI volatile with stop running. Also beware of sudden big moves on big US numbers days as size kicks in - I suppose 'they' could have a view based on their research, but if I was to allow myself a conspiracy theory I would say that 'someone' has advance info on US figures eg crude inventories and NFP and takes advantage of this in the less regulated (than US) HK market. Open position in advance and collect next day. Of course I could have been staring at the screen for just a little too long...........................
ETS vs. Open Outcry: http://stquote.sgx.com/live/dt/DTPriceC.asp?NKFC ETS only: http://stquote.sgx.com/live/dt/DTFuture.asp?NKFE