When does the market open? It's a simple question, but the answer is becoming more complex. For purposes of our discussion, all times are Eastern Standard Time unless otherwise noted.
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, but this could change.
In late 2025, Nasdaq filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to expand stock trading hours to nearly 23 hours a day, five days a week. If the proposal is approved by regulators, the exchange could launch its new schedule as soon as the second half of 2026.
The New York Stock Exchange is also seeking to expand trading access on its exchange, to 22 hours a day, five days a week.
Regular trading hours for the U.S. bond market are currently 8 am to 5 pm.
There are also several early closure days, such as the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday), which typically fall on either side of other stock market holidays. On these days, the U.S. stock market usually closes at 1 pm, while the bond market ends operations at 2 pm.
What about trading outside of regular hours?
Trading also happens outside these regular stock market trading hours. On days with a regular session, for instance, there are pre-market and extended trading sessions. Some brokerages offer overnight trading, too.
Pre-market and extended trading are performed on "electronic communications networks," or ECNs, and directly pair buyers and sellers rather than using a middleman. This kind of trading used to be available only to large institutional investors.
Online brokers and trading platforms such as Fidelity and Charles Schwab facilitate it for individual investors, too.
What time does pre-market trading start in the U.S. stock market?
Pre-market trading happens before the market opens. Hours might vary among brokerage firms, but premarket trading can begin as early as 4 am and run until the opening bell rings at 9:30 am.
What time does extended trading start in the U.S. stock market?
Extended trading, which is also known as after-hours trading, starts when the closing bell rings and typically runs from 4 pm to 8 pm.
Meanwhile, overnight trading is the latest response by online platforms to ever-increasing demand, with some brokerages offering investors the opportunity to trade 24 hours.
Interactive Brokers supports trading of U.S. stocks and ETFs from 8 pm to 3:50 am, with the first session beginning on Sunday at 8 pm and the last session ending on Friday at 3:50 am. Robinhood Markets clients can trade select stocks and ETFs 24 hours a day, five days a week, from Sunday at 8 pm through Friday at 8 pm.
Charles Schwab has expanded its 24-hour trading platform to include all stocks listed on major U.S. indexes, as well as hundreds of ETFs. Webull recently opened its 24-hour platform to U.S. users, and Firstrade launched its overnight trading system in April.
Many brokers limit the types of transactions that can occur in pre-market, extended and overnight trading, so you'll want to check with your individual broker to see what they support.
Should I buy and sell stocks in pre-market, extended and overnight trading?
Just because you can trade outside regular stock market trading hours doesn't necessarily mean you should.
You must 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.
TD also notes that earnings reports are typically announced after regular trading hours, "which can lead to major price swings."
When does the market open on the weekends?
While some minor exchanges and select futures markets operate during the weekend, there are no regular trading hours for stocks on Saturdays or Sundays.
If you see news on a Sunday night indicating 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 can I trade cryptocurrencies and commodities?
Cryptocurrency trading
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 such as Coinbase Global (COIN).
Bitcoin ETFs, cryptocurrency funds, spot bitcoin ETFs and ether ETFs can be traded during regular stock market trading hours.
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.
You can buy and sell shares in commodity ETFs and energy ETFs during regular trading hours.
When does the market open for international stocks?
If you're looking to trade global markets and international stocks in real time, you'll need to grab an evening pot of coffee first, depending on which country you're following.
Here are the trading times for some of the largest global stock exchanges. All times represent regular trading hours Monday through 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 to 11:30 am
- Euronext Paris (EPA): 3 to 11:30 am
- Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FRA): 3 to 11 am
- Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE): 8 to 10:30 pm, 11:30 pm to 2 am
- Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE): 9:30 to 11:30 pm, 1 to 3 am
- Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE): 9:30 to 11:30 pm, 1 to 3 am
- Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKG): 9:30 pm to 12 am, 1 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.
What triggers a "circuit breaker" in the U.S. stock market?
The stock market rarely closes unexpectedly, but so-called circuit breakers do occasionally trigger temporary trading halts.
Circuit breakers were first introduced after the Black Monday crash of October 1987. The Dow dropped almost 23% in a single session, which still stands as its biggest one-day drop ever.
The most recent circuit breaker was triggered in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Circuit breakers are intended to curb panic selling. Like calling a timeout in sports, a temporary pause in trading allows market participants to catch their breath, though it doesn't necessarily keep stocks from declining once trading resumes.
There are three levels of circuit breakers tied to how steeply the market declines:
A Level 1 market-wide circuit breaker is tripped if the S&P 500 falls 7% from its previous close.
A Level 2 circuit breaker comes into effect when the market plunges 13%.
A Level 3 circuit breaker kicks in if the market tanks 20%.
A Level 1 or Level 2 breach halts trading for a minimum of 15 minutes. A Level 3 rout halts trading for the remainder of the trading day.
Level 1 and Level 2 circuit breakers can be triggered between 9:30 am and 3:25 pm. A Level 3 breach can be triggered at any time.
