The Opening Cross is a process that generates a single opening price reflective of the true supply and demand of a particular stock as the market opens each day. The Opening Cross improves upon the current market open and resolves natural stock buy and sell imbalances at the open.
From 9:28 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (the two minutes prior to the Open), the exchanges gather and publish information about buy or sell interest in a particular stock, including an indicative opening price.