The long-awaited gold and silver night futures exchange will open at the Shanghai Futures Exchange on Friday, according to Shenzhen-based Securities Times.

The night market runs from 9 pm to 2:30 am.

The night session will have 165 trading members: 149 futures companies, 10 commercial banks and six metal enterprises.

The exchange will strengthen links between domestic and international markets and allow China a greater say in price setting, the Security Times said.

Li Ning, an analyst with Shanghai CIFCO Futures, said that domestic gold and silver prices would be linked to European and American markets.