Market Hours & Trading Sessions
Regular hours, pre-market, and after-hours — and why thin extended sessions punish market orders.
Placing TradesBeginner 4 min read· Lesson 2 of 11 in Stock Market Basics
The sessions
US regular session: 9:30–16:00 Eastern. Pre-market (~4:00–9:30) and after-hours (16:00–20:00) exist but with a fraction of the liquidity — spreads widen drastically, and prices can be misleading. Earnings usually drop outside regular hours, which is why stocks 'gap' at the next open.
Session character
The first and last half hours of the regular session carry the heaviest volume and volatility; midday is quietest. Daily candles on this platform's charts summarize the regular session — a gap between yesterday's close and today's open is the visible footprint of overnight news.