What is "Pre-Market Trading" in the U.S. Stock Market?

Pre-market trading in the U.S. stock market refers to the period of time when stock trading activities take place before the official opening of the stock exchanges.

Prior to the traditional exchange opening hours, investors can participate in pre-market trading through specific trading platforms or brokerage firms. This period usually lasts for a few hours in the early morning, typically one to two hours before the official market opening.

Due to lower liquidity, prices and trading volumes in pre-market trading may be restricted, and not all brokerages and trading platforms allow pre-market trading.

Pre-market trading is often utilized by professional and institutional investors to adjust their trades before important news announcements, earnings releases, or other market events.

What is "After-Hours Trading" in the U.S. Stock Market?

After-hours trading in the U.S. stock market refers to the period of time when stock trading activities take place after the official closing of the stock exchanges.

After the traditional exchange closing hours, investors can participate in after-hours trading through specific trading platforms or brokerage firms. This period usually lasts for one to two hours after the official market close.

Similar to pre-market trading, prices and trading volumes in after-hours trading may also be restricted, and some brokerages and trading platforms do not allow after-hours trading.

After-hours trading is often used to adjust trading strategies, manage unfilled orders, or react to important news and earnings releases announced after the market close.

Pre-market and after-hours trading have lower liquidity, increased trading costs, and risks, so investors should carefully assess and choose whether to participate in all-day trading based on their individual investment goals and risk tolerance.

U.S. Stock Market Trading Hours

Trading hours are from Monday to Friday, and trading sessions vary according to U.S. daylight saving time and standard time. The specific U.S. stock market trading schedule is as follows:

US Stock Market Summer Trading Hours (from March to November):

US Stock Market Winter Trading Hours (November to March):

What platforms support "all-day trading"?

uSMART supports pre-market and after-hours trading in US stocks, enabling 24 hour trading of US stocks. Investors no longer need to stay up all night, worry about missing trading opportunities, and can buy US stocks around the clock, providing more trading opportunities and increasing investment flexibility and convenience.

In addition, uSMART also offers intelligent dollar-cost averaging, smart order types, and other automated user-friendly services. Investors can choose a period for the system to regularly invest a fixed amount, potentially lowering the average purchase price per share and accumulating dividend products over time. Moreover, uSMART offers nine types of smart orders, such as high-price sell orders, low-price buy orders, and grid orders. The system automatically monitors the market and places orders at any time, saving investors from worrying about missing desired prices, which can greatly save time and energy costs.

We hope this article has helped you understand all-day trading and the trading hours of US and Hong Kong stocks. Please note that investing carries risks and should be done with caution.

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