how a trading session works
trading session hours can vary by asset class and country the regular trading session for u s stocks starts at 9 30 a m and ends at 4 00 p m eastern time et on weekdays holidays excepted 1 these times are primarily driven by the working hours of the new york stock exchange nyse which closes early at 1 00 p m et on several occasions throughout the year associated with holidays 2the regular weekday trading session for the u s bond market is 8 00 a m to 5 00 p m et 3 futures markets meanwhile have different trading hours depending upon the exchange and the type of commodity being traded traders should be aware of trading session hours for any securities and derivatives that they re interested in trading beforehand to prevent any unexpected problems from arising in addition to regular trading hours some markets may have pre market or after hours trading sessions other markets even have 24 hour trading sessions pre market and after hours trading sessionspre market trading for u s stocks occurs between 4 00 a m and 9 30 a m et on weekdays after hours trading on the other hand is from 4 00 p m to 8 00 p m et on weekdays although these times may vary slightly by exchange 4pre market and after hours trading is a compelling way to capitalize on important news announcements or other factors that occur outside of regular trading hours with that in mind here are a number of factors that investors should be mindful of when trading outside of regular hours in particular the securities and exchange commission sec notes eight such risk factors 24 hour trading sessionsthere are some markets with a 24 hour trading session among the most notable is the global foreign exchange forex market in which currencies are traded the forex market is the largest most liquid market in the world 6unlike the equity market the forex market has no physical exchange rather it consists of a number of large banks and brokerage firms that trade currencies with themselves the forex market is open 24 hours a day five days per week from sunday evening until friday night 7