delayed opening investment & finance definition

A situation in which a stock is unable to begin trading on a given day because of an extraordinary situation. For example, a delayed opening may occur if there is a flood of buyers or sellers due to news announced before the opening of the stock exchange, resulting in an imbalance between buyers and sellers. Alternatively, the opening may be delayed if there is pending news that a company needs to announce. Sometimes entire stock or futures markets experience a delayed opening, caused by weather conditions, for example.