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Comment se déroule une séance de Bourse au Maroc

كيف تسير جلسة البورصة في المغرب؟

How a trading session works in Morocco

When is the exchange open?

The Casablanca Stock Exchange trades Monday to Friday, excluding Moroccan public holidays. The main session runs from 9:00 to 15:30 (Casablanca time). Outside these hours, no order executes on the central market — your broker may accept pending orders, but they are processed only at the next open.

Timeline 9:00–15:30 — phases of a session

Time Phase What happens IAM example (~91 MAD)
8:30 – 9:00 Pre-open Orders accumulate without executing. A theoretical opening price forms on Casabourse. Buy orders at 91.20 and sells at 91.50 stack up; the book fills.
9:00 Opening auction (fixing) All pending orders are matched at once → single opening price. IAM opens at 91.35 MAD (example): first official price of the session.
9:00 – 15:30 Continuous trading Orders execute in real time as soon as buyer and seller meet. Most active phase for liquid names. IAM trades continuously: average volume ~44,070 shares/day, spread across the session.
15:15 – 15:30 Pre-close Orders accumulate for the closing auction (fixing). Volume often accelerates. Funds and institutional investors place end-of-day orders.
15:30 Closing auction (fixing) Final matching → closing price, reference for the next day and base for MASI/MSI 20 indices. IAM closes at 91.40 MAD; this value is the reference for the next day’s change.

Fixing vs continuous trading

Two quoting modes coexist at the BVC:

  • Fixing (auction): all orders are matched at once at a given moment (open, close, and less liquid names during the session). A single price results.
  • Continuous trading: real-time execution as soon as a bid equals an ask. This is the mode for the most traded names like IAM, ATW or Addoha.

On a liquid name, most volume trades continuously; opening and closing auctions add concentrated transaction spikes.

Focus: closing volume spike on IAM

On Maroc Telecom, average daily volume is about 44,070 shares/day (Casabourse data, June 2026). This volume is not evenly spread: a significant share concentrates around the closing auction (15:30).

Why? Fund managers (mutual funds (OPCVM), insurers) must mark portfolios to the official closing price. They often place adjustment orders in the last 15 minutes. Result: on Casabourse, you frequently see a volume spike between 15:15 and 15:30 on IAM — sometimes 20 to 30% of daily volume in a quarter of an hour.

Same logic on Cosumar (CSR) (~179 MAD, volume ~2,500–4,000 shares/day): less liquid than IAM, the closing auction weighs even more heavily in total volume. On an illiquid name, an order at 15:28 can move the closing price — a trap for the rushed beginner.

Price limits and reservations

To avoid extreme moves, a stock’s price can move only within an authorised band during the session (limits set by the BVC). If demand or supply pushes beyond, the stock is temporarily reserved (suspended) before resuming. This is a safeguard, not an alarm signal — IAM rarely faces this thanks to its liquidity.

Settlement-delivery T+2

When your order executes in session (e.g. buy IAM at 91.40 at 14:22), the actual transfer of shares and cash takes place two business days later (T+2). You are committed from execution, but delivery settles at D+2. Order executed Tuesday → shares credited Thursday in your securities account.

Practical exercise on the BVC

On a trading day, open the IAM page on Casabourse at 10:00, then at 15:25. Compare cumulative volume: note the acceleration near the close. Repeat on Cosumar. Then compare the two names’ liquidity in the comparator: average volume, market cap, spread. You will understand why it is better to place an IAM order mid-session than a micro-cap at 15:28.

Key takeaways

  • BVC session: 9:00–15:30, Monday–Friday.
  • Pre-open → fixing 9:00 → continuous → pre-close → fixing 15:30.
  • Volume often peaks between 15:15 and 15:30 (closing auction).
  • IAM (~44,070 shares/day) absorbs orders easily; Cosumar less so.
  • Settlement-delivery T+2: shares credited 2 business days after execution.

Self-check

  1. At what time does the closing auction (fixing) take place at the BVC?
  2. What is the difference between fixing and continuous trading?
  3. Why does volume often rise between 15:15 and 15:30?
  4. What happens when a stock exceeds its price limit?
  5. When is the share transfer effective after execution?