Premarket trading occurs on electronic market exchanges, and it has been growing in popularity since 1990 as investors continue to embrace the idea of trading stocks over electronic communication networks. Some brokerage firms do not offer trading in the premarket at all. ET, while premarket trading at Scottrade begins from 6:00 a.m. ET.įor example, TD Ameritrade offers premarket trading from 8:00 a.m. ET, while another may offer it from 6:00 a.m.

One broker may decide to offer trading running from 4:00 a.m. ET.īrokers, however, can determine the exact timeframe during which premarket trading takes place. The session allows both institutional investors and individual traders to trade stocks between 4:00 a.m. Premarket trading is the trading session that happens before the normal trading session starts. However, there are some drawbacks/risks with trading in the premarket which we will cover below. The stock market is crowded during regular hours of trading which is why some investors have embraced the premarket session, a less crowded time to trade. Thousands of stock traders are drawn to the exchanges immediately following the opening bell. ET, Monday through Friday unless it is a holiday. stock market exchanges open for normal trading from 9:30 a.m. Many stock traders focus on how shares of a company perform after the opening bell and completely disregard the premarket trading session. Premarket trading occurs during the time period before the stock market opens, which usually happens between 8:00 a.m.

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