When does the market open? It's certainly a simple question, but one with more answers than you'd think.
The regular trading hours for the U.S. stock market, which includes the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), are 9:30 am to 4 pm, except on stock market holidays.
There are also several early closure days such as the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) that are typically around other holidays, when regular stock market trading potentially ends at 1 pm and bond market trading finishes at 2 pm. (All times Eastern unless otherwise indicated.)
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What is pre-market and after-hours trading?
Trading also happens outside of these regular stock market trading hours. On days with a regular session, for instance, there is "pre-market" and "after-hours" trading.
Pre-market trading happens before the market opens. While hours may vary between brokerage firms, they can extend as early as 4 am and run until the opening bell rings at 9:30 am.
After-hours trading occurs once the market closes and typically runs from 4 pm to 8 pm.
Pre-market and after-hours trading are performed on "electronic communications networks," or ECNs, and directly pair buyers and sellers rather than using a middleman. While this kind of trading once was only accessible to large institutional buyers, today online brokers and trading platforms such as Fidelity and Charles Schwab facilitate this for market participants.
Still, many brokers limit the types of transactions that can occur in pre-market and after-hours trading, so you'll want to check with your individual broker to see what they allow.
Should I buy and sell stocks in pre-market and after-hours trading?
Just because you can trade outside of regular stock market trading hours doesn't necessarily mean you should. Investors should be aware of the risks associated with extended trading, including the fact that volume tends to be lower in pre-market and after-hours trading.
"Besides low volume, there is also limited liquidity during extended hours, which can lead to increased volatility, larger spreads, and greater price uncertainty," Toronto-Dominion Bank explains in a post. "Plus, earning reports are typically announced after regular trading hours which can lead to major price swings."
When can I trade cryptocurrencies?
The digital currencies market is an easy schedule to remember. Cryptocurrencies trade 24 hours a day, seven days a week. From bitcoin to the smallest altcoin, if you have an itch, you can scratch it whenever you'd like.
That said, not all brokerage firms offer access to cryptocurrencies, so you'll want to check with yours to see if they allow buying and selling of digital assets – or find a centralized crypto exchange like Coinbase Global (COIN).
Bitcoin ETFs, cryptocurrency funds, spot bitcoin ETFs and ether ETFs can be traded during regular stock market trading hours.
When does the market open for commodities trading?
Futures trading on commodities such as oil, gold and wheat can be done nearly as often as cryptocurrencies. However, hours vary by exchange. For instance, commodities trade electronically from 6 pm Sunday to 5 pm Friday on CME Group exchanges.
But regular trading hours at the competing Intercontinental Exchange run from 8 pm Sunday to 6 pm Friday.
Investors can buy and sell shares in commodity ETFs and energy ETFs during regular trading hours.
When does the market open on the weekends?
There are no regular trading hours for stocks on Saturdays or Sundays.
However, if you see news on a Sunday night saying that stock futures are down, that's because most futures contracts (including equity futures, but also commodities such as oil and agricultural products and other investments) begin trading Sunday night on the major exchanges.
When does the market open for international stocks?
For investors looking to trade global markets and international stocks in real time, they'll need to grab an evening pot of coffee first, depending on what country they're following.
Here are the trading times for some of the largest global stock exchanges. (All times featured here represent regular trading hours, Monday-Friday, and are listed in Eastern time.)
- Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX): 9:30 am to 4 pm
- Mexico Stock Exchange (BMV): 9:30 am to 4 pm
- London Stock Exchange (LSE): 3 am to 11:30 am
- Euronext Paris (EPA): 3 am to 11:30 am
- Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FRA): 3 am to 11 am
- Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE): 8 pm to 10:30 pm, 11:30 pm to 2 am
- Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE): 9:30 pm to 11:30 pm, 1 am to 3 am
- Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE): 9:30 pm to 11:30 pm, 1 am to 3 am
- Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKG): 9:30 pm to 12 am, 1 am to 4 am
On the other hand, investors can trade American depositary receipts (ADRs) – foreign companies that trade on domestic stock exchanges – during regular U.S. trading hours.
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