Central News Agency (CNA) - Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) Chairman Lin Ming-cheng said today that the trading hours for the Taiwan stock market are shorter compared to major international exchanges. The TWSE has been considering extending the trading hours, potentially by about 1 hour or 1 hour and 30 minutes, with a possible closing time around 3:30 PM. Securities firms also hope for continuous trading, and are not inclined to adopt the midday break model seen in the Japanese market. The Legislative Yuan's Finance Committee reviewed amendments to the Certified Public Accountant Act and Article 2-1 of the Securities Transaction Tax Act today, inviting Financial Supervisory Commission Chairman Peng Jin-lung, Ministry of Finance Vice Minister Chen Yung-sheng, and TWSE Chairman Lin Ming-cheng to attend and respond to questions. KMT Legislator Lo Ming-tsai pointed out that the Taiwan stock market's market capitalization has become the 5th largest globally. He asked how it can continue to advance towards becoming the 4th or 3rd largest market, and whether the trading hours should be extended to align with international standards. Lin Ming-cheng stated that the trading hours for the Taiwan stock market are indeed relatively short compared to major international exchanges. The TWSE has been continuously researching ways to extend the trading hours and is currently communicating with securities firms. However, extending trading hours involves IT infrastructure, and the resilience of the IT system needs to reach a balance point. Regarding how long the trading hours would be extended, Lin Ming-cheng explained that the Taiwan stock market currently operates with continuous trading. If trading hours are extended, securities firms hope to maintain continuous trading and are not inclined to adopt the midday break model of the Japanese market. The trading hours would generally be extended by about 1 hour or 1.5 hours. Lo Ming-tsai further inquired if the closing time would be exten