U.S. premarket trading is scheduled to start at 4:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). Many brokers give customers access later, often at 7:00 a.m. ET or after.

After-hours trading starts at 4:00 p.m. ET, when regular stock-market trading ends. Some brokers begin executing after-hours orders at 4:05 p.m. ET.

U.S. Stock Market Trading Hours

Trading session Standard market time
Premarket extended hours 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET
Regular market hours 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
After-hours trading 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET

Nasdaq lists premarket trading from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET and after-hours trading from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET.

Why Your Broker May Show a Different Start Time

The exchange schedule and your broker's customer-access hours can differ. A broker may limit access to part of the extended-hours session, restrict which stocks are available, or accept only certain order types.

Charles Schwab, for example, lists standard extended-hours sessions from 7:00 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. ET before the market opens and from 4:05 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET after it closes.

That means the start time depends on what you mean:

  • Earliest standard premarket start: 4:00 a.m. ET
  • Common retail-broker premarket start: 7:00 a.m. ET
  • After-hours start: Usually 4:00 p.m. ET, though some brokers begin execution at 4:05 p.m. ET

Check your broker's extended-hours schedule before placing an order. The Securities and Exchange Commission says that availability and session length vary by broker, market and trading venue.

What to Know Before Trading Extended Hours

Extended-hours trading usually has:

  • Lower liquidity
  • Wider bid-ask spreads
  • Greater price volatility
  • Fewer available securities
  • More limited order types, often limit orders only

These conditions can make an order harder to execute and may affect the price you receive. Company announcements, including earnings reports, can also lead to sharp price movements outside regular market hours.

The earliest standard U.S. premarket start is 4:00 a.m. ET, but your broker may not offer access until 7:00 a.m. ET or later.