Singapore Exchange Ltd., the operator of Singapore city's derivatives and securities market, will be doing away with its noon trading break coming March onwards so as to increase its local role.

The nations of Australia, South Korea, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh already function with no lunch break. The trading day of Singapore currently operates from 9 a. m. to 12:30 p. m. regional time, after one and a half hours of break time, followed by an afternoon session from 2 p. m. to5 p. m.

According to Chan Tuck Sing, the executive director of UOB-Kay Hian Pte., to have the staff work without any break will be a bit too taxing on the dealers, and that it would increase the possibility of making more errors as it might lead to a growth in their levels of stress. And that would not be good for the health of the employees. UOB-Kay Hian Pte is a unit of Singapore second-largest lender.

Meanwhile, Singapore Exchange, the eighth-largest equity market in Asia declared last October that it would be having an A$8.4 billion ($8.3 billion) worth of takeover bid for ASX Ltd., the chief exchange operator in Australia.