After-hours and pre-market trading hours
After-hours trading runs from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET, and pre-market trading from 4:00 AM to 9:30 AM ET, Monday to Friday.
Those are the Nasdaq and NYSE Arca sessions. Your broker may offer a shorter window.
Right now (2:21 PM ET) the regular session is open. It closes at 4:00 PM ET.
The extended sessions
| Session | ET | CT | PT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-market | 4:00 – 9:30 AM | 3:00 – 8:30 AM | 1:00 – 6:30 AM |
| After hours | 4:00 – 8:00 PM | 3:00 – 7:00 PM | 1:00 – 5:00 PM |
| After hours, early-close days | 1:00 – 5:00 PM | 12:00 – 4:00 PM | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
Many brokers start pre-market trading later, often at 7:00 or 8:00 AM ET. Regular trading runs 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM ET: see stock market hours.
How extended-hours trading differs
Trading before the open and after the close happens on electronic networks, with far fewer buyers and sellers than the regular session. The SEC and FINRA point to the same differences:
- Less liquidity. With fewer shares changing hands, an order can take longer to fill, or fill at a worse price.
- Wider spreads. The gap between the bid and the ask is usually larger.
- Bigger swings. News lands on a thin market, so prices can jump and reverse.
- Prices that don't carry over. An after-hours price can be far from where the stock opens the next morning.
- Limit orders. Most brokers accept only limit orders outside regular hours.
Read the originals: the SEC's investor bulletin on after-hours trading and FINRA's guide to extended-hours trading.
Why stocks move after hours
Most companies report earnings after the 4:00 PM close or before the 9:30 AM open, and plenty of filings, guidance changes and deal announcements land outside market hours too. The first reaction happens in the extended sessions. The official closing price is still the 4:00 PM price; after-hours and pre-market moves are shown separately.
That's the gap EDGR's two editions cover. The post-market recap (default 4:30 PM ET) brings the closing moves and after-hours earnings for your tickers; the pre-market brief (default 9:00 AM ET) brings everything that happened overnight and where each one is trading before the open.
Next early-close days
Regular trading ends at 1:00 PM ET and after hours at 5:00 PM ET on:
- Friday, November 27, 2026: Day after Thanksgiving
- Thursday, December 24, 2026: Christmas Eve
- Friday, November 26, 2027: Day after Thanksgiving
Questions people ask
What are after-hours trading hours?
After-hours trading runs from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday to Friday, on Nasdaq and NYSE Arca. On early-close days it runs from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM ET. Your broker may offer a shorter window.
What are pre-market trading hours?
Pre-market trading runs from 4:00 AM to 9:30 AM Eastern Time on trading days. Many brokers start later, often at 7:00 or 8:00 AM ET.
Why do stocks move after hours?
Many companies release earnings and other news after the 4:00 PM close or before the 9:30 AM open, so the first reaction happens in the extended sessions, when fewer shares change hands.
Does after-hours trading count toward a stock's daily change?
No. The official closing price is set at 4:00 PM ET. After-hours and pre-market moves are shown separately and roll into the next regular session.
Is there after-hours trading on weekends or market holidays?
No. The extended sessions only run on trading days. After hours ends at 8:00 PM ET on Friday and pre-market resumes at 4:00 AM ET on the next trading day.
Market reference
Catch the after-hours news on your stocks.
EDGR's post-market recap brings closing moves and after-hours earnings for the tickers you follow. One watchlist is free.